Gospel according to Matthew

They answered Jesus, and said, "We don't know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, 'Son, go work today in my vineyard.'

He answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he changed his mind, and went.

He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, 'I go, sir,' but he didn't go.

Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering into the Kingdom of God before you.

For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn't believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. When you saw it, you didn't even repent afterward, that you might believe him.

"Hear another parable. There was a man who was a master of a household, who planted a vineyard, set a hedge about it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, leased it out to farmers, and went into another country.

When the season for the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, to receive his fruit.

The farmers took his servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.

Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they treated them the same way.

But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and seize his inheritance.'

So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?"

They told him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season."

Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?'

"Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruits.

He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whoever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them.

When they sought to seize him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him to be a prophet.