Matthew 14:16-21:46 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. Give them food yourselves."

Riverside⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. Give them food yourselves." ¹⁷ They said to him, "We have here nothing but five loaves and two fishes." ¹⁸ He said, "Bring them to me." ¹⁹ Then he commanded the crowd to recline on the grass, and he took the five loaves and the two fishes and looked up to heaven and asked a blessing. Then he broke up the loaves and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples distributed to the crowd. ²⁰ All ate and had abundance, and they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces that remained over. ²¹ Those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. ²² Then he made his disciples get into the boat and go on across while he was dismissing the crowd. ²³ After dismissing the crowd, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray, When evening came, he was there alone. ²⁴ The boat was already far out from land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵ In the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking on the water. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified, saying that it was a ghost, and they cried out with fear. ²⁷ But at once Jesus spoke to them and said, "Courage. It is I. Do not be afraid." ²⁸ Peter answered, "Sir, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water." ²⁹ Jesus said, "Come." Then Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰ But seeing the wind he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Sir, save me!" ³¹ At once Jesus stretched out his hand and grasped him and said, "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" ³² After they got into the boat, the wind stopped. ³³ Then the men in the boat bowed down to him and said, "Truly you are the Son of God." ³⁴ Having crossed, they came to land at Gennesaret. ³⁵ When the men of that place recognized him, they sent into all that neighborhood and brought to him all the sick ³⁶ and begged him that they might touch merely the tassel of his cloak, and all who touched were cured. ¹⁵ ¹ THEN scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² "Why do your disciples violate the tradition of our forefathers? For they do not wash their hands when they eat food." ³ He answered them, "And why do you violate the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, 'Honor thy father and thy mother,' and, 'If any one speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die.' ⁵ But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or to his mother, Whatever benefit you get from me is now dedicated to God, ⁶ he shall not honor his father or his mother.' So you have nullified the command of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said, ⁸ 'This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁹ In vain they worship me while they teach as precepts the commands of men.' " ¹⁰ Calling the crowd to him he said to them, "Hear and understand. ¹¹ Not what enters the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth — that defiles a man." ¹² Then his disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that the Pharisees were shocked when they heard what you said?" ¹³ He replied, "Every plant which my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. ¹⁴ Beware of them. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind leads the blind, both will fall into the ditch." ¹⁵ Peter said, "Explain to us your figure." ¹⁶ Jesus answered, "Are even you without insight? ¹⁷ Do you not know that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is cast out into the sewer? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth proceed from the heart, and they defile the man. ¹⁹ For from the heart proceed wicked thoughts, murders, adulteries, unchastities, thefts, perjuries, profane words. ²⁰ These are the things that defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." ²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus retired into the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² Here a Canaanite woman of those parts came out and cried, "Sir, have pity on me, Son of David. My daughter is terribly tormented by a demon." ²³ But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away; she keeps calling out behind us." ²⁴ He replied, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." ²⁵ But she came and bowed before him and said, "Help me, Sir." ²⁶ He answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." ²⁷ But she said, "Yes, Sir; for even the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." ²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, great is your faith. Be it to you as you will." And her daughter was cured from that hour. ²⁹ On leaving there, Jesus came along by the lake of Galilee and went up on the mountain and sat down there. ³⁰ Then a great crowd came to him having with them lame men, maimed men, blind men, mutes, and many others, and they laid them at his feet and he healed them. ³¹ The crowd was astonished when they saw mutes talking, maimed men sound, lame men walking about, and blind men seeing, and they gave glory to the God of Israel. ³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion for the crowd, for they have now been with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting; they might faint on the road." ³³ The disciples said to him, "Where can we get enough bread in this uninhabited place to feed such a crowd?" ³⁴ Jesus said, "How many loaves have you?" They said, "Seven, and a few small fishes." ³⁵ Then he told the crowd to recline on the ground, ³⁶ and he took the seven loaves and the fishes and gave thanks and broke them and gave to his disciples, and the disciples distributed to the crowd. ³⁷ All ate and were satisfied, and they picked up seven baskets full of fragments that were left over. ³⁸ There were four thousand men that ate, besides women and children. ³⁹ Then after dismissing the crowd he got into a boat and came into the region of Magadan. ¹⁶ ¹ THE Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, and, in order to put him to a test, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. ² TEXT OMITTED ³ TEXT OMITTED ⁴ But he answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation is eager for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah"; and he left them and went away. ⁵ When the disciples got to the other side of the lake, they had forgotten to take bread, ⁶ and Jesus said to them, "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." ⁷ They were discussing this among themselves, saying, "It is because we have brought no bread." ⁸ But Jesus, when he knew it, said, "Why are you discussing among yourselves, O men of little faith, because you have no bread? ⁹ Do you not yet know? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many basketfuls you picked up? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many basketfuls you picked up? ¹¹ How is it that you do not perceive that I was not speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." ¹² Then they understood that he had told them to beware not of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. ¹³ After corning into the neighborhood of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" ¹⁴ They said, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; others Jeremiah or some one of the prophets." ¹⁵ He said to them, "But you, who do you say that I am?" ¹⁶ Simon Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." ¹⁷ Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter [which means Rock], and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." ²⁰ Then he strictly charged his disciples not to tell any one that he was the Christ. ²¹ From that time Jesus began to make plain to his disciples that he had to go away to Jerusalem, and suffer greatly from the elders and high priests and scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. ²² Peter took him and began to reprove him, saying, "Please God, Sir; this shall not happen to you." ²³ But he, turning, said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan; you are a snare to me, for you are not thinking God's thoughts, but men's." ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any one chooses to come after me, let him disown self and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit will a man have if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? or what can a man give to buy back his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will repay each in full according to his actions. ²⁸ I tell you truly there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste of death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." ¹⁷ ¹ Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain alone. ² There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as the light. ³ Then appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. ⁴ Peter said to Jesus, "Sir, it is fine for us to be here. If you like, I will make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." ⁵ While he was speaking, a bright cloud suddenly overspread them and a voice issued from the cloud, "This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I delight. Hear him." ⁶ The disciples on hearing this fell on their faces in great terror. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Rise and do not be afraid." ⁸ When they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus himself alone. ⁹ As they were descending the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead." ¹⁰ The disciples asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" ¹¹ He answered, "Elijah does come and restore all things. ¹² But I tell you Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they chose. Just so the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands." ¹³ Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. ¹⁴ When they reached the crowd, a man came to Jesus and knelt to him and said, ¹⁵ "Sir, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and is in a very bad way. For often he falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples and they could not cure him." ¹⁷ Jesus answered, "O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long must I be with you? How long must I bear you? Bring him here." ¹⁸ Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and he came out of him and the boy was well from that hour. ¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus aside and said, "Why were we unable to cast it out?" ²⁰ He said to them, "Because of your lack of faith. I tell you truly, if you have faith like a mustard seed you will say to this mountain, 'Remove from here to there,' and it will remove, and nothing will be impossible for you." ²¹ TEXT OMITTED ²² While they were assembling in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man will soon be betrayed into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him and on the third day he will be raised"; and they were deeply distressed. ²⁴ After they came to Capernaum, the men who were collecting the Temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the Temple tax?" ²⁵ He said, "Yes." But when he went into the house Jesus spoke first to him and said, "How do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect taxes or tribute, from their own sons or from those who are not?" ²⁶ Upon his saying, "From those who are not," Jesus said to him, "So then the sons are free. ²⁷ But in order that we may not mislead them, go to the lake and throw in a hook and take the first fish that comes up. When you open his mouth you will find a coin. Take that and give it to them for me and yourself. ¹⁸ ¹ AT that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" ² He called to him a little child and stood him in the midst of them ³ and said, "I tell you truly, unless you turn and become like the little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ He who humbles himself like this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives one such little child for my name receives me; ⁶ and whoever causes one of these little ones that believe in me to stumble, it were better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and be cast into the depths of the lake. ⁷ Alas for the world because of the occasions of stumbling! It must be that such occasions come, but alas for the man through whom any one is tripped up! ⁸ If your hand or your foot is a snare to you, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be cast into the fire eternal. ⁹ If your eye is a snare to you, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life one-eyed than with two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire. ¹⁰ See to it that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you, in heaven their angels continually behold the face of my Father in heaven. ¹¹ TEXT OMITTED ¹² How does it seem to you? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the straying one? ¹³ And if he finds it, I tell you he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that have not strayed. ¹⁴ Just so it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ¹⁵ "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault between yourself and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. ¹⁶ If he does not listen to you, take along with you one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses, or three, every word may be confirmed. ¹⁷ If he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to hear the church, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. ¹⁸ I tell you truly, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ "Again I tell you that, if two of you agree on earth regarding any matter, whatever they pray for will come to them from my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them." ²¹ Then Peter came to him and said, "How often, Sir, if my brother sins against me, shall I forgive him? Up to seven times?" ²² Jesus said to him, "I do not say up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. ²³ "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a man who was a king, who determined to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he had begun the accounting there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ Since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, as well as his wife and his children and whatever he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ But the servant fell down and did homage and said, 'Have patience with me and I will pay you in full.' ²⁷ Then the master, pitying the servant, released him and cancelled his debt. ²⁸ But that servant, on going out, found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred shillings, and he seized him and choked him, saying, 'Pay in full what you owe.' ²⁹ His fellow servant fell down and begged, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will pay you in full.' ³⁰ But he would not, but went and threw him into prison until he should pay off the debt. ³¹ When his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and went and informed their master about everything. ³² The master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant, all that debt of yours I cancelled when you begged me. ³³ Ought you not to have had pity on your fellow servant as I had pity on you?' ³⁴ Then his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay off all that was owing to him. ³⁵ Just so will my Father in heaven do to you if you do not forgive each one his brother from your hearts." ¹⁹ ¹ WHEN Jesus had finished these words, he left Galilee and came within that part of Judaea beyond the Jordan. ² Great crowds followed him and he healed them there. ³ Then some Pharisees came to him to test him. They said, "Is it allowable for a man to divorce his wife for any and every cause?" ⁴ He replied, "Have you not read that the Creator in the beginning 'made them male and female,' ⁵ and said, 'For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh'? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What, therefore, God has yoked together let not man put asunder." ⁷ They said to him, "Why, then, did Moses command to give a writing of dismissal and divorce her?" ⁸ He said to them, "Moses, because of your hard-heartedness, permitted you to divorce your wives, but at the beginning it was not so. ⁹ And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery." ¹⁰ His disciples said to him, "If this is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." ¹¹ He said to them, "Not all can receive this word; but only those to whom it is granted. ¹² For there are eunuchs so born from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs so made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him who is able to receive it receive it." ¹³ Then some little children were brought to him to have him lay his hands on them and pray. His disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." ¹⁵ After laying his hands on them, he went away. ¹⁶ A man came to him and said, "Teacher, what good thing shall I do to have life eternal?" ¹⁷ He said to him, "Why do you ask me about the good? One only is the Good. But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." ¹⁸ He said to him, "Which?" Jesus said to him, "Thou shalt not commit murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, ¹⁹ Honor thy father and thy mother, and Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." ²⁰ The young man said to him, "All these I have kept. What do I lack still?" ²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go sell your property and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and then come, follow me." ²² When the young man heard that saying, he went away grieved. For he possessed great wealth. ²³ Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you truly, a rich man will with difficulty enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were amazed and said, "Who then can be saved?" ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." ²⁷ Then Peter said, "Why, we have left everything and have followed you. What then shall we receive?" ²⁸ Jesus said to him, "I tell you truly, you who have followed me, in the rebirth, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you also will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name's sake will receive manifold more and will inherit life eternal. ³⁰ But many now first will be last and many now last will be first. ²⁰ ¹ "THE kingdom of heaven is like a man who was a householder, who went out in the early morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the laborers for a shilling a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ He went out about nine o'clock and saw others standing in the market-place idle ⁴ and said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. ⁵ Again he went out about noon and about three o'clock and did the same. ⁶ About five o'clock he went out and found others standing and said to them, 'Why have you been standing the whole day idle?' ⁷ They said, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go too into my vineyard.' ⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and pay their hire, beginning with the last and going on to the first.' ⁹ When those who were hired about five o'clock came, they received a shilling apiece, ¹⁰ and when those who were hired first came, they thought that they would get more. But they too received a shilling apiece. ¹¹ When they received it, they grumbled at the householder ¹² and said, 'These last worked one hour and you have made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the heat.' ¹³ But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not wronging you. Did you not agree with me for a shilling? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵ Have I not the right to do what I will with my own? Is your eye evil because I am good?' ¹⁶ So the last will be first and the first last." ¹⁷ As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve aside on the road and said to them, ¹⁸ "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the high priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and will deliver him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify, and on the third day he will be raised." ²⁰ Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee, with her sons, bowing down to him and making a request of him. ²¹ He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to him, "Give the command for these two sons of mine to sit one on your right and one on your left in your kingdom." ²² Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, 'We can?' ²³ He said to them, "My cup you will drink, but seats on my right and on my left are not mine to give. They will be given to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." ²⁴ When the ten heard of this, they were indignant at the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones wield power over them. ²⁶ It is not so among you. But whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you will be your slave; ²⁸ just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." ²⁹ As they were leaving Jericho, a great crowd followed him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting at the side of the road, and when they heard that Jesus was passing, they cried out, "Sir, have pity on us, Son of David!" ³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be silent. But all the more they cried, "Sir, have pity on us, Son of David!" ³² Jesus stopped and called them and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" ³³ They said, "We want our eyes opened." ³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, and at once they regained sight and followed him. ²¹ ¹ WHEN they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ² telling them, "Go into the village opposite and at once you will find an ass tied and a colt with her. Loose her and lead her to me. ³ If any one says anything to you, you will say, 'The Master has need of them,' and at once he will send them." ⁴ This happened in order that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, ⁵ "Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy king comes to thee, gentle and riding on an ass and on a colt, the foal of a beast of draught." ⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had bidden them, ⁷ and brought the ass and the colt, and spread on them their cloaks and seated him on them. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks in the road, and others cut off branches from the trees and spread them in the road. ⁹ The crowds that walked before and those that followed shouted, "God save the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! God in highest heaven save him!" ¹⁰ When he entered Jerusalem all the city was shaken, and people said, "Who is this?" ¹¹ The crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee." ¹² Jesus went into the Temple courts and drove out all those who were selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who were selling doves, ¹³ and he said, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a den of robbers." ¹⁴ Then blind men and lame men came to him in the Temple courts and he healed them. ¹⁵ When the high priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting, "God save the Son of David!" they were angry ¹⁶ and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" Jesus said, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise'?" ¹⁷ Then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there. ¹⁸ Early in the morning as he was returning to the city, he was hungry, ¹⁹ and seeing a solitary fig tree at the roadside he went to it, but found on it nothing but leaves only. He said to it, "Let there no more be fruit from you forever." The fig tree immediately withered up. ²⁰ Upon seeing this, the disciples were astonished and said, "How suddenly the fig tree withered up!" ²¹ Jesus said to them, "I tell you truly, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' that will happen, ²² and whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will obtain." ²³ When he had gone into the Temple courts, the high priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing this, and who gave you this authority?" ²⁴ Jesus replied to them, "I too will ask you one question. If you answer me, then I also will tell you by what authority I am doing this. ²⁵ The baptism of John — where did it come from? From heaven or from men?" They debated among themselves, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' ²⁶ and if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the people, for they all hold John for a prophet." ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." He in turn said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing this. ²⁸ What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go to-day and work in the vineyard.' ²⁹ He answered, 'I will, Sir,' but he did not go. ³⁰ The father went to the second son and said the same. He answered, 'I will not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The last." Jesus said to them, "I tell you truly the tax collectors and the bad women are going before you into the kingdom of God. ³² For John came to you in the path of righteousness and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the bad women believed him. And you when you saw it did not change your minds afterwards and believe him. ³³ "Listen to another illustration: There was a man, a house-holder, who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a wine-vat in it and built a watch-tower, and let it out to grape-growers and went abroad. ³⁴ When the time of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the grape-growers to get his fruit. ³⁵ But the grape-growers seized the servants, and one they beat, one they killed, one they pelted with stones. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first, but they treated them just the same. ³⁷ At last he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will respect my son.' ³⁸ But when the grape-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance.' ³⁹ So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ When, therefore, the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those grape-growers?" ⁴¹ They said to him, "He will put those miserable men to a miserable death, and will let out the vineyard to other grape-growers who will render him the fruits in their seasons." ⁴² Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, that one has become the corner stone. This stone came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes'? ⁴³ Therefore I tell you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation that produces the fruits. ⁴⁴ Whoever falls on this stone will be shattered, and if it falls on any one, it will crush him to powder." ⁴⁵ The high priests and the Pharisees listening to his illustrations knew that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ They were eager to seize him, but were afraid of the people, for the people held him for a prophet.