Mark 12:1-20 ▼

1 Then He began to speak to them in figurative language. "There was once a man," He said, "who planted a vineyard, fenced it round, dug a pit for the wine-tank, and built a strong lodge. Then he let the place to vine-dressers and went abroad.

2 At vintage-time he sent one of his servants to receive from the vine-dressers a share of the grapes.

3 But they seized him, beat him cruelly and sent him away empty-handed.

4 Again he sent to them another servant: and as for him, they wounded him in the head and treated him shamefully.

5 Yet a third he sent, and him they killed. And he sent many besides, and them also they ill-treated, beating some and killing others.

6 He had still one left whom he could send, a dearly-loved son: him last of all he sent, saying, "'They will treat my son with respect.'

7 "But those men--the vine-dressers--said to one another, "'Here is the heir: come, let us kill him, and then the property will one day be ours.'

8 "So they took him and killed him, and flung his body outside the vineyard.

9 What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do?" "He will come and put the vine-dressers to death," they said; "and will give the vineyard to others."

10 "Have you not read even this passage," He added, "'The stone which the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone:

11 this Cornerstone came from the Lord, and is wonderful in our esteem?'"

12 And they kept looking out for an opportunity to seize Him, but were afraid of the people; for they saw that in this parable He had referred to *them*. So they left Him and went away.

13 Their next step was to send to Him some of the Pharisees and of Herod's partisans to entrap Him in conversation.

14 So they came to Him. "Rabbi," they said, "we know that you are a truthful man and you do not fear any one; for you do not recognize human distinctions, but teach God's way truly. Is it allowable to pay poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

15 Shall we pay, or shall we refuse to pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, replied, "Why try to ensnare me? Bring me a shilling for me to look at."

16 They brought one; and He asked them, "Whose is this likeness and this inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied.

17 "What is Caesar's," replied Jesus, "pay to Caesar--and what is God's, pay to God." And they wondered exceedingly at Him.

18 Then came to Him a party of Sadducees, a sect which denies that there is any Resurrection; and they proceeded to question Him.

19 "Rabbi," they said, "Moses made it a law for us: 'If a man's brother should die and leave a wife, but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up a family for his brother.'

20 There were once seven brothers, the eldest of whom married a wife, but at his death left no family.