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Then, using this illustration, Jesus spoke to them. He said, "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a vat for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.
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"At the right time he sent a servant to the workers to collect from them a share of the grapes from the vineyard.
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The workers took the servant, beat him, and sent him back with nothing.
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So the man sent another servant to them. They hit the servant on the head and treated him shamefully.
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The man sent another, and they killed that servant. Then he sent many other servants. Some of these they beat, and others they killed.
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"He had one more person to send. That person was his son, whom he loved. Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, 'They will respect my son.'
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"But those workers said to one another, 'This is the heir. Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'
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So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
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"What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the workers and give the vineyard to others.
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Have you never read the Scripture passage: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.