New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders
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And it came about on one of those days, when he was teaching the people in the Temple and preaching the good news,
2 and said to him, "Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?"
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That the chief priests and the scribes and the rulers of the people came to him and said, Make clear to us by what authority you do these things and who gave you this authority.
3 He answered them, "I will also ask you a question, and you tell me:
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And in answer he said to them, I will put a question to you, and do you give me an answer:
4 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?"
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The baptism of John, was it from heaven or of men?
5 They discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, "From heaven,' he will say, "Why did you not believe him?'
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And they said among themselves, If we say, From heaven; he will say, Why did you not have faith in him?
6 But if we say, "Of human origin,' all the people will stone us; for they are convinced that John was a prophet."
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But if we say, Of men; we will be stoned by the people, for they are certain that John was a prophet.
7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from.
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And they made answer that they had no idea where it came from.
8 Then Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
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And Jesus said, And I will not make clear to you by what authority I do these things.
9 He began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time.
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And he gave the people this story: A man made a vine-garden and gave the use of it to some field-workers and went into another country for a long time.
10 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
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And at the right time he sent a servant to the workers to get part of the fruit from the vines; but the workmen gave him blows and sent him away with nothing.
11 Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed.
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And he sent another servant, and they gave blows to him in the same way, and put shame on him, and sent him away with nothing.
12 And he sent still a third; this one also they wounded and threw out.
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And he sent a third, and they gave him wounds and put him out.
13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, "What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.'
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And the lord of the garden said, What am I to do? I will send my dearly loved son; they may give respect to him.
14 But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, "This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.'
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But when the workmen saw him, they said to one another, This is he who will one day be the owner of the property: let us put him to death and the heritage will be ours.
15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?
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And driving him out of the garden they put him to death. Now what will the lord do to these workmen?
16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Heaven forbid!"
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He will come and put them to destruction and give the garden to others. And when he said this, they said, May it not be so.
17 But he looked at them and said, "What then does this text mean: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?
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But he, looking on them, said, Is it not in the Writings, The stone which the builders put on one side, the same has become the chief stone of the building?
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."
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Everyone falling on that stone will be broken, but the man on whom the stone comes down will be crushed to dust.
19 When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.
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And the chief priests and the scribes made attempts to get their hands on him in that very hour; and they were in fear of the people, for they saw that he had made up this story against them.
20 So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor.
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And they kept watch on him, and sent out secret representatives, who were acting the part of good men, in order that they might get something from his words, on account of which they might give him up to the government and into the power of the ruler.
21 So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth.
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And they put a question to him, saying, Master, we are certain that your teaching and your words are right, and that you have no respect for a man's position, but you are teaching the true way of God:
22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"
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Is it right for us to make payment of taxes to Caesar or not?
23 But he perceived their craftiness and said to them,
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But he saw through their trick and said to them,
24 "Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?" They said, "The emperor's."
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Let me see a penny. Whose image and name are on it? And they said, Caesar's.
25 He said to them, "Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."
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And he said, Then give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's.
26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.
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And they were not able to get anything from these words before the people: but they were full of wonder at his answer, and said nothing.
27 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him
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And some of the Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no coming back from the dead; and they said to him,
28 and asked him a question, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.
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Master, Moses said that if a man's brother comes to his end, having a wife, but no children, his brother is to take the wife, and get a family for his brother.
29 Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless;
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Now there were seven brothers, and the first had a wife and came to his end, having no children;
30 then the second
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And the second;
31 and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless.
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And the third took her; and in the same way, all the seven, without having any children, came to their end.
32 Finally the woman also died.
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And last of all, the woman came to her end.
33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her."
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When they come back from the dead, whose wife will she be? for all the seven had her.
34 Jesus said to them, "Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage;
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And Jesus said to them, The sons of this world are married and have wives;
35 but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.
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But those to whom is given the reward of the world to come, and to come back from the dead, have no wives, and are not married;
36 Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.
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And death has no more power over them, for they are equal to the angels, and are sons of God, being of those who will come back from the dead.
37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
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But even Moses made it clear that the dead come back to life, saying, in the story of the burning thorn-tree, The Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive."
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Now he is not the God of the dead but of the living: for all men are living to him.
39 Then some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well."
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And some of the scribes, in answer to this, said, Master, you have said well.
40 For they no longer dared to ask him another question.
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And they had fear of putting any more questions to him.
41 Then he said to them, "How can they say that the Messiah is David's son?
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And he said to them, Why do they say that the Christ is the son of David?
42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms, "The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand,
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For David himself says in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Take your seat at my right hand,
43 until I make your enemies your footstool." '
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Till I put under your feet all those who are against you.
44 David thus calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?"
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David then gives him the name of Lord, so how is it possible for him to be his son?
45 In the hearing of all the people he said to the disciples,
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And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples,
46 "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets.
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Keep away from the scribes, whose pleasure it is to go about in long robes, and to have words of respect said to them in the market-places, and to take the chief seats in the Synagogues and the first places at feasts;
47 They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."
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Who take the property of widows and before the eyes of men make long prayers; they will get a greater punishment.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.