Mark 12:1-17 ▼

1 Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables. |A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad.

2 At the right time, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect from them a share of the produce from the vineyard.

3 But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him, and sent him back empty-handed.

4 Again, the man sent another servant to them. They beat the servant over the head and treated him shamefully.

5 Then the man sent another, and that one they killed. So it was with many other servants. Some of these they beat, and others they killed.

6 He still had one more person to send, a son whom he loved. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

7 But those farmers told one another, 'This is the heir. Come on, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!'

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

9 |Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, execute the farmers, and give the vineyard to others.

10 Haven't you ever read this Scripture: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'?|

12 They were trying to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. Realizing that he had spoken this parable against them, they left him alone and went away.

13 Then they sent some Pharisees and some Herodians to him, intending to trap him in what he said.

14 They came and told him, |Teacher, we know that you are sincere. You don't favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or shouldn't we?|

15 Seeing through their hypocrisy, Jesus replied to them, |Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.|

16 So they brought one. Then he asked them, |Whose face and name are on this?| They told him, |Caesar's.|

17 So Jesus told them, |Give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.| And they were utterly amazed at him.