Mark 12:1-12

The Parable of the Tenants

1 1And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted 2a vineyard 3and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and 4leased it to tenants and 5went into another country.
2 When the season came, he sent a servant[a] to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 6And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
4 7Again 8he sent to them another servant, and 9they struck him on the head and 10treated him shamefully.
5 11And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.
6 He had still one other, 12a beloved son. 13Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'
7 But those tenants said to one another, 14'This is the heir. Come, 15let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
8 And they took him and killed him and 16threw him out of the vineyard.
9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? 17He will 18come and destroy the tenants and 19give the vineyard to others.
10 20Have you not read 21this Scripture: 22"'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;[b]
11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"
12 And 23they were seeking to arrest him 24but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they 25left him and went away.

Cross References 25

  • 1. For ver. 1-12, see Matthew 21:33-46; Luke 20:9-19
  • 2. Psalms 80:8; Isaiah 5:1; Matthew 21:28
  • 3. Isaiah 5:2
  • 4. Song of Songs 8:11, 12
  • 5. Mark 13:34; Matthew 25:14, 15
  • 6. Matthew 5:12; Matthew 22:6; Matthew 23:34, 37; [2 Chronicles 24:19; 2 Chronicles 36:15, 16; Nehemiah 9:26; Jeremiah 37:15; Jeremiah 38:6; Acts 7:52; 2 Corinthians 11:24-26; 1 Thessalonians 2:15; Hebrews 11:36, 37]
  • 7. [See ver. 3 above]
  • 8. Matthew 22:4
  • 9. [Acts 14:19]
  • 10. Acts 5:41(Gk.)
  • 11. [See ver. 3 above]
  • 12. See Matthew 3:17
  • 13. [Hebrews 1:1]
  • 14. Hebrews 1:2; [John 1:11; Romans 8:17]
  • 15. [1 Kings 21:19]
  • 16. Hebrews 13:12
  • 17. [Luke 19:27]
  • 18. [Matthew 24:50; Matthew 25:19]
  • 19. Matthew 21:43; Acts 13:46; Acts 18:6; Acts 28:28; [Matthew 8:11, 12]
  • 20. See Matthew 21:16
  • 21. Luke 4:21; Acts 8:35
  • 22. Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7; Cited from Psalms 118:22, 23
  • 23. Mark 11:18; Luke 19:47, 48; John 7:25, 30, 44; [Matthew 26:4]
  • 24. Mark 11:32
  • 25. Matthew 22:22

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Greek bondservant; also verse 4
  • [b]. Greek the head of the corner
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.