Mark 12:1-22 ▼

1 And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man PLANTED A VINEYARD, AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT, AND DUG A VAT UNDER THE WINE PRESS, AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.

2 “And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers.

3 “And they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

4 “And again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.

5 “And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some, and killing others.

6 “He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7 “But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’

8 “And they took him, and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

9 “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.

10 “Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;

11 THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?”

12 And they were seeking to seize Him; and yet they feared the multitude; for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him, and went away.

13 And they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him, in order to trap Him in a statement.

14 And they came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?

15 “Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.”

16 And they brought one. And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

17 And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.

18 And some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Him, and began questioning Him, saying,

19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that IF A MAN’S BROTHER DIES, and leaves behind a wife, AND LEAVES NO CHILD, HIS BROTHER SHOULD TAKE THE WIFE, AND RAISE UP OFFSPRING TO HIS BROTHER.

20 “There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died, leaving no offspring.

21 “And the second one took her, and died, leaving behind no offspring; and the third likewise;

22 and so all seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also.