¹ AND it came to pass, on one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and scribes with the elders came upon him,

² and spake to him, saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things or who is he that giveth thee this authority?

³ Then he answering said to them, I also will ask you one question; and resolve me:

⁴ The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?

⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we reply, From heaven; he will say, Wherefore then did ye not believe him?

⁶ But if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.

⁷ And they answered, We know not from whence.

⁸ And Jesus said to them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

⁹ Then he began to speak to the people this parable: A certain man planted a vineyard, and delivered it to husbandmen, and went abroad for a long while.

¹⁰ And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that they might give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat, and sent him away empty.

¹¹ And he again sent another servant: and him also they beat, and treating him with indignity, sent him away empty.

¹² And he sent yet a third: and him they also wounded, and cast out.

¹³ Then said the master of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: probably when they see him, they will shew him respect.

¹⁴ But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be our own.

¹⁵ So casting him out of the vineyard, they slew him. What then will the master of the vineyard do with these men?

¹⁶ He will come and destroy these husbandmen, and give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said God forbid.

¹⁷ Then he looked on them, and said, What is this then which is written¹, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

1. Psalm cxviii. 22.

¹⁸ Every one who falleth upon this stone shall be broken to pieces; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

¹⁹ And the chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him at that time; and were afraid of the people: for they knew that he had spoken this parable against them.

²⁰ And watching him, they sent men they had suborned, who pretended that they were righteous persons, in order to lay hold of some word of his, that they might deliver him to the power and authority of the governor.

²¹ And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou speakest and teachest rightly, and respectest no man’s person, but teachest the way of God in truth:

²² Is it lawful for us to pay tribute to Caesar, or not?

²³ Then he, aware of their crafty design, said unto them, Why tempt ye me?

²⁴ Shew me a denarius. Whose image and inscription hath it? And they answering said, Caesar’s.

²⁵ Then said he to them, Pay therefore to Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and to God the things which are God’s.

²⁶ And they were unable to lay hold of a single expression of his before the people: and marvelling at his answer, they were silenced.

²⁷ Then certain of the Sadducees, who contend that there is no resurrection, asked him,

²⁸ saying, Master, Moses wrote for us¹, If a man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die childless, that his brother should take the wife, and raise up seed for his brother.

1. Deut. xxv. 5.

²⁹ Now there were seven brothers: and the first taking a wife, died childless.

³⁰ And the second taking the wife, he also died childless.

³¹ Then the third took her; and also all the seven in like manner: and left no children, and died.

³² And last of all died also the woman.

³³ In the resurrection therefore whose wife of them shall she be? for the seven had her to wife.

³⁴ And Jesus in reply said to them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

³⁵ but they who are counted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection of the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

³⁶ neither can they die any more: for they are like the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

³⁷ Now that the dead are raised, even Moses intimated at the bush¹, when he called the Lord, “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

1. Exod. iii. 6.

³⁸ Now God is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live with him.

³⁹ Then some of the scribes addressing him said, Master, admirably hast thou spoken!

⁴⁰ And after that they durst not put another question to him.

⁴¹ Then he spake to them: How say they that the Messiah is the son of David?

⁴² Yet David himself, in the book of Psalms, saith, “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit down at my right hand,

⁴³ until I put thine enemies for a footstool of thy feet¹.”

1. Psalm cx. 1.

⁴⁴ David then calleth him Lord, and how then is he his son?

⁴⁵ And whilst all the people were hearkening, he said to his disciples,

⁴⁶ Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk about in trailing robes, and love salutations in the public places, and the principal seats in the synagogues, and the most honourable couch at suppers;

⁴⁷ who devour the houses of widows, and for a pretext make long prayers: these shall receive a more abundant punishment.