Study Desk

^(C1)And He began to speak to them in parables: "^(C2)A man ^(C3)planted a vineyard and put a ^(F1)fence around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and leased it to ^(F2)vine-growers and went on a journey.

"And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive his share of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers.

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

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

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

"He had one more man to send, a beloved son; he sent him to them last of all, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

"But those vine-growers said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!'

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

"What will the ^(F1)owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the vine-growers to death, and give the vineyard to others.

"Have you not even read this Scripture: '^(C1)A STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS HAS BECOME THE ^(F1)CHIEF CORNERSTONE;

^(C1)THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES'?"

^(C1)And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the ^(F1)people, for they understood that He told the parable against them. And so ^(C2)they left Him and went away.