Luke 20:1-19

11On one of the days while 2He was teaching the people in the temple and 3preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders 4confronted Him, 2and they declared, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” 3But He replied to them, “I will also ask you a 5question, and you tell Me: 4Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” 5They discussed among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, since they are convinced that John was a 6prophet.” 7And so they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8And Jesus said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

97But He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to 8vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. 10At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11And he proceeded to send another slave; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12And he proceeded to send a third; but this one too they wounded and threw out. 13Now the 9owner of the vineyard said, ‘What am I to do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will 10respect him.’ 14But when the vine-growers saw him, they discussed with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ 15And so they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the 11owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and 12put these vine-growers to death, and will give the vineyard to others.” However, when they heard this, they said, “13May it never happen!” 17But 14Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what is this statement that has been written: ‘15A stone which the builders rejected, This has become 16the 17chief cornerstone’? 1818Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

19The scribes and the chief priests 19tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and yet they feared the people; for they were aware that He had spoken this parable against them.