Mark 12:1-9 ▼

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.