1
Then he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.
2
When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard.
3
But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
4
And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted.
5
Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed.
6
He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, "They will respect my son.'
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.