Matthew 21:32-42

32 For John came to you ¹in the way of righteousness, and ²you did not believe him, but ³the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward ⁴change your minds and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

33 ⁵"Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted ⁶a vineyard ⁷and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and ⁸leased it to tenants, and ⁹went into another country.

34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants^[a] to the tenants ¹⁰to get his fruit.

35 ¹¹And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and ¹²stoned another.

36 ¹³Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.

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

38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ¹⁴'This is the heir. Come, ¹⁵let us kill him and have his inheritance.'

39 And they took him and ¹⁶threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 ¹⁷When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"

41 They said to him, ¹⁸"He will put those wretches to a miserable death and ¹⁹let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."

42 Jesus said to them, ²⁰"Have you never read in the Scriptures: ²¹"'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;^[b] this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?