Knox Bible

1

Then he began to speak to them in parables; There was a man who planted a vineyard, and put a wall round it, and dug a wine-press and built a tower in it, and then let it out to some vine-dressers, while he went on his travels.

2

And when the season came, he sent one of his servants on an errand to the vine-dressers, to claim from the vine-dressers the revenue of his vineyard.

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

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Then he sent another servant on a second errand to them, and him too they beat over the head and used him outrageously.

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He sent another, whom they killed; and many others, whom they beat or killed at their pleasure.

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He had still one messenger left, his own well-beloved son; him he sent to them last of all; They will have reverence, he said, for my son.

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But the vine-dressers said among themselves, This is the heir, come, let us kill him, and then his inheritance will be ours.

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So they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

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And now, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, and make an end of those vine-dressers, and give his vineyard to others.

10

Why, have you not read this passage in the scriptures, The very stone which the builders rejected has become the chief stone at the corner;✻

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this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

12

This parable, they saw, was aimed at themselves, and they would gladly have laid hands on him, but they were afraid of the multitude; so they went away and left him alone.✻

13

Then they sent some of the Pharisees to him, with those who were of Herod’s party, to make him betray himself in his talk.

14

These came and said to him, Master, we know that thou art sincere; that thou holdest no one in awe, making no distinction between man and man, but teachest in all sincerity the way of God. Is it right that tribute should be paid to Caesar? Or should we refuse to pay it?

15

But he saw their treachery, and said to them, Why do you thus put me to the test? Bring me a silver piece, and let me look at it.

16

When they brought it, he asked them, Whose is this likeness? Whose name is inscribed on it? Caesar’s, they said.

17

Whereupon Jesus answered them, Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. And they were lost in admiration of him.

18

Then he was approached with a question by the Sadducees, men who say that there is no resurrection:

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Master, they said, Moses prescribed for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a widow behind him but no children, he, the brother, should marry the widow, and beget children in the dead brother’s name.

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There were seven brethren; the first married a wife, and died childless;

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the second married her, and he too left no children, and so with the third;

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all seven married her, without having children, and the woman died last of all.

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And now, when the dead rise again, which of these will be her husband, since she was wife to all seven?

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Jesus answered them, Is not this where you are wrong, that you do not understand the scriptures, or what is the power of God?

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When the dead rise, there is no marrying or giving in marriage, they are as the angels in heaven are.

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But as for the dead rising again, have you never read in the book of Moses how God spoke to him at the burning bush, and said, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?✻

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Yet it is of living men, not of dead men, that he is the God; you are wrong, then, altogether.

28

One of the scribes heard their dispute, and, finding that he answered to the purpose, came up and asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

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Jesus answered him, The first commandment of all is, Listen, Israel; there is no God but the Lord thy God;

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and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with the love of thy whole heart, and thy whole soul, and thy whole mind, and thy whole strength.✻ This is the first commandment,

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and the second, its like, is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.✻ There is no other commandment greater than these.

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And the scribe said to him, Truly, Master, thou hast answered well; there is but one God, and no other beside him;

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and if a man loves God with all his heart and all his soul and all his understanding and all his strength, and his neighbour as himself, that is a greater thing than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

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Then Jesus, seeing how wisely he had answered, said to him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And after this, no one dared to try him with further questions.

35

Then Jesus said openly, still teaching in the temple, What do the scribes mean by saying that Christ is to be the son of David?

36

David himself was moved by the Holy Spirit to say, The Lord said to my Master, Sit on my right hand while I make thy enemies a footstool under thy feet.✻

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Thus David himself calls Christ his Master; how can he be also his son? And the multitude at large listened to him readily.✻

38

This was part of the teaching he gave them, Beware of the scribes, who enjoy walking in long robes, and having their hands kissed in the market-place,

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and the first seats in the synagogues, and the chief places at feasts;

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who swallow up the property of widows, under cover of their long prayers; their sentence will be all the heavier for that.

41

As he was sitting opposite the treasury of the temple, Jesus watched the multitude throwing coins into the treasury, the many rich with their many offerings;

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and there was one poor widow, who came and put in two mites, which make a farthing.

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Thereupon he called his disciples to him, and said to them, Believe me, this poor widow has put in more than all those others who have put offerings into the treasury.

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The others all gave out of what they had to spare; she, with so little to give, put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.✻