¹He began to speak to them in parables . “ A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it , dug a pit for the wine press , built a tower , rented it out to a farmer , and went into another country.

²When it was time , he sent a servant to the farmer to get from the farmer his share of the fruit of the vineyard.

³They took him , beat him , and sent him away empty .

⁴Again , he sent another servant to them ; and they threw stones at him , wounded him in the head , and sent him away shamefully treated.

⁵Again he sent another , and they killed him , and many others , beating some , and killing some .

⁶Therefore still having one , his beloved son , he sent him last to them , saying , ‘ They will respect my son .’

⁷But those farmers said amongst themselves , ‘ This is the heir . Come , let ’s kill him , and the inheritance will be ours .’

⁸They took him , killed him , and cast him out of the vineyard.

⁹What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do ? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others .

¹⁰Haven’ t you even read this Scripture :

‘ The stone which the builders rejected

was made the head of the corner .

¹¹This was from the Lord .

It is marvellous in our eyes ’?”

¹²They tried to seize him , but they feared the multitude ; for they perceived that he spoke the parable against them . They left him and went away.

¹³They sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him , that they might trap him with words .

¹⁴When they had come , they asked him , “Teacher , we know that you are honest, and don’t defer to anyone ; for you aren’t partial to anyone , but truly teach the way of God . Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar , or not ?

¹⁵Shall we give , or shall we not give ?”

But he , knowing their hypocrisy , said to them , “ Why do you test me ? Bring me a denarius , that I may see it .”

¹⁶They brought it .

He said to them , “ Whose is this image and inscription ?”

They said to him , “Caesar ’s.”

¹⁷Jesus answered them , “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar ’s, and to God the things that are God ’s.”

They marvelled greatly at him .

¹⁸Some Sadducees , who say that there is no resurrection, came to him . They asked him , saying ,

¹⁹“Teacher , Moses wrote to us , ‘If a man ’s brother dies and leaves a wife behind him , and leaves no children , that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’

²⁰There were seven brothers. The first took a wife , and dying left no offspring.

²¹The second took her , and died , leaving no children behind him . The third likewise ;

²²and the seven took her and left no children . Last of all the woman also died .

²³In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them ? For the seven had her as a wife .”

²⁴Jesus answered them , “Isn’ t this because you are mistaken , not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God ?

²⁵For when they will rise from the dead , they neither marry nor are given in marriage , but are like angels in heaven .

²⁶But about the dead , that they are raised , haven’ t you read in the book of Moses about the Bush, how God spoke to him , saying , ‘ I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac , and the God of Jacob ’?[#Exodus 3:6]

²⁷He is not the God of the dead , but of the living . You are therefore badly mistaken .”

²⁸One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together , and knowing that he had answered them well , asked him , “Which commandment is the greatest of all ?”

²⁹Jesus answered, “ The greatest is : ‘Hear, Israel , the Lord our God , the Lord is one .

³⁰You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart , with all your soul , with all your mind , and with all your strength .’ This is the first commandment.[#Deuteronomy 6:4-5]

³¹The second is like this : ‘ You shall love your neighbour as yourself .’ There is no other commandment greater than these .”[#Leviticus 19:18]

³²The scribe said to him , “Truly , teacher , you have said well that he is one , and there is none other but he ;

³³and to love him with all the heart , with all the understanding , all the soul, and with all the strength , and to love his neighbour as himself , is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices .”

³⁴When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him , “ You are not far from God ’s Kingdom.”

No one dared ask him any question after that .

³⁵Jesus responded , as he taught in the temple , “ How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David ?

³⁶For David himself said in the Holy Spirit ,

‘ The Lord said to my Lord ,

“ Sit at my right hand ,

until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet .”’

³⁷Therefore David himself calls him Lord , so how can he be his son ?”

The common people heard him gladly .

³⁸In his teaching he said to them , “Beware of the scribes , who like to walk in long robes , and to get greetings in the marketplaces,

³⁹and to get the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts ,

⁴⁰those who devour widows ’ houses , and for a pretence make long prayers . These will receive greater condemnation .”

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury . Many who were rich cast in much .

⁴²A poor widow came and she cast in two small brass coins , which equal a quadrans coin.[#12:42 literally, lepta (or widow’s mites). Lepta are very small brass coins worth half a quadrans each, which is a quarter of the copper assarion. Lepta are worth less than 1% of an agricultural worker’s daily wages.; #12:42 A quadrans is a coin worth about 1/64 of a denarius. A denarius is about one day’s wages for an agricultural labourer.]

⁴³He called his disciples to himself and said to them , “ Most certainly I tell you , this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury ,

⁴⁴for they all gave out of their abundance , but she , out of her poverty , gave all that she had to live on .”