Matthew 21:33-46

33“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.

34When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop.

35But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way.

37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’

39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

41They said to him, “He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the harvest.”

42Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.”

45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.

46They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the crowds regarded him as a prophet.