^aOn one of the days while ^bHe was teaching the people in the temple and ^cpreaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders ^dconfronted Him, 2 and they declared, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” 3 But He replied to them, “I will also ask you a ¹question, and you tell Me: 4 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” 5 They discussed among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, since they are convinced that John was a ^aprophet.” 7 And so they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither am I telling you by what authority I do these things.”

9 ^aBut He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to ¹vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. 10 At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he proceeded to send another slave; but they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he proceeded to send a third; but this one too they wounded and threw out. 13 Now the ¹owner of the vineyard said, ‘What am I to do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will ^arespect him.’ 14 But when the vine-growers saw him, they discussed with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 And so they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the ¹owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and ^aput these vine-growers to death, and will give the vineyard to others.” However, when they heard this, they said, “^bMay it never happen!” 17 But ¹Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what is this statement that has been written:‘^aA STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,THIS HAS BECOME ^bTHE ²CHIEF CORNERSTONE’? 18 ^aEveryone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

19 The scribes and the chief priests ^atried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and yet they feared the people; for they were aware that He had spoken this parable against them. 20 ^aAnd so they watched Him ¹closely, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order ^bthat they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could hand Him over to the jurisdiction and authority of ^cthe governor. 21 And the spies questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You ¹are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God on the basis of truth. 22 Is it ¹permissible for us ^ato pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23 But He saw through their trickery and said to them, 24 “Show Me a ¹denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 And He said to them, “Then ^apay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were unable to ^acatch Him in a statement in the presence of the people; and they were amazed at His answer, and said nothing.

27 ^aNow some of the ^bSadducees (who maintain that there is no resurrection) came to Him, 28 and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that ^aif ¹a man’s brother dies, ²leaving a wife, and he is childless, that his brother is to ³marry the wife and raise up children ⁴for his brother. 29 So then, there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; 30 and the second 31 and the third ¹married her; and in the same way ²all seven ³died, leaving no children. 32 Finally the woman also died. 33 Therefore, in the resurrection, ¹which one’s wife does the woman become? For ²all seven ³married her.”

34 Jesus said to them, “The sons of ^athis age marry and the women are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to ^athat age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36 for they cannot even die anymore, for they are like angels, and are ^asons of God, being ¹sons of the resurrection. 37 But as for the fact that the dead are raised, even Moses revealed this in ^athe passage about the burning bush, where he calls the Lord ^bTHE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB. 38 ^aNow He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for ^ball live to Him.” 39 Some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” 40 For ^athey did not have the courage to question Him any longer about anything.

41 ^aBut He said to them, “How is it that they say the ¹Christ is ^bDavid’s son? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms,‘^aTHE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,

44 Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and so how is He his son?”

45 ^aAnd while all the people were listening, He said to the disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, ^awho like to walk around in long robes, and love personal greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 47 who ¹devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”