Mark 12
1 Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
And he gave them teaching in the form of stories. A man had a vine-garden planted, and put a wall about it, and made a place for crushing out the wine, and put up a tower, and let it out to field-workers, and went into another country.
2 At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard.
And when the time came, he sent a servant to get from the workmen some of the fruit of the garden.
3 But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
And they took him, and gave him blows, and sent him away with nothing.
4 Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.
And again he sent to them another servant; and they gave him wounds on the head, and were very cruel to him.
5 He sent still another, and this one they killed. He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed.
And he sent another; and they put him to death: and a number of others, whipping some, and putting some to death.
6 Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
He still had one, a dearly loved son: he sent him last to them, saying, They will have respect for my son.
7 But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
But those workmen said among themselves, This is he who will one day be the owner of the property; come, let us put him to death, and the heritage will be ours.
8 So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
And they took him and put him to death, pushing his body out of the garden.
9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.
What then will the master of the garden do? He will come and put the workmen to death, and will give the garden into the hands of others.
10 Have you never read this Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Have you not seen this which is in the Writings: The stone which the builders put on one side, the same was made the chief stone of the building:
11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
This was the Lord's doing, and it is a wonder in our eyes?
12 At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
And they made attempts to take him; but they were in fear of the people, because they saw that the story was against them; and they went away from him.
13 Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to catch Jesus in His words.
Then they sent to him certain of the Pharisees and the Herodians, so that they might make use of his words to take him by a trick.
14 “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and seek favor from no one. Indeed, You are impartial and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or not?”
And when they had come, they said to him, Master, we are certain that you are true, and have no fear of anyone: you have no respect for a man's position, but you are teaching the true way of God: Is it right to give taxes to Caesar or not?
15 But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to inspect.”
Are we to give or not to give? But he, conscious of their false hearts, said to them, Why do you put me to the test? give me a penny, so that I may see it.
16 So they brought it, and He asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they answered.
And they gave him one. And he said to them, Whose is this image and name on it? And they said to him, Caesar's.
17 Then Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they marveled at Him.
And Jesus said to them, Give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's. And they were full of wonder at him.
18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him:
And there came to him Sadducees, who say there is no coming back from the dead; and they put a question to him, saying,
19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.
Master, in the law Moses says, If a man's brother comes to his end, and has a wife still living and no child, it is right for his brother to take his wife, and get a family for his brother.
20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died, leaving no children.
There were seven brothers: and the first took a wife, and at his death there were no offspring;
21 Then the second one married the widow, but he also died and left no children. And the third did likewise.
And the second took her, and at his death there were no offspring; and the third the same:
22 In this way, none of the seven left any children. And last of all, the woman died.
And all the seven had no seed. Last of all the woman herself came to her death.
23 In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”
In the future life, when they come back from the dead, whose wife will she be? for the seven had her for a wife.
24 Jesus said to them, “Aren’t you mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
Jesus said to them, Is not this the reason for your error, that you have no knowledge of the holy Writings or of the power of God?
25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.
When they come back from the dead, they do not get married, but are like the angels in heaven.
26 But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
But as to the dead coming back to life; have you not seen in the book of Moses, about the burning thorn-tree, how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living: you are greatly in error.
28 Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
And one of the scribes came, and hearing their argument together, and seeing that he had given them a good answer, put the question to him, Which law is the first of all?
29 Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Jesus said in answer, The first is, Give ear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord;
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
And you are to have love for the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
The second is this, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself. There is no other law greater than these.
32 “Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him,
And the scribe said to him, Truly, Master, you have well said that he is one, and there is no other but he:
33 and to love Him with all your heart and with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And to have love for him with all the heart, and with all the mind, and with all the strength, and to have the same love for his neighbour as for himself, is much more than all forms of offerings.
34 When Jesus saw that the man had answered wisely, He said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any further.
And when Jesus saw that he gave a wise answer, he said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And every man after that was in fear of questioning him any more.
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, He asked, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?
And Jesus, when he was teaching in the Temple, said, How do the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?
36 Speaking by the Holy Spirit, David himself declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.”’
David himself said in the Holy Spirit, The Lord said to my Lord, Be seated at my right hand, till I put those who are against you under your feet.
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord.’ So how can He be David’s son?” And the large crowd listened to Him with delight.
David himself gives him the name of Lord; and how then is he his son? And the common people gave ear to him gladly.
38 In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,
And in his teaching he said, Be on your watch against the scribes, whose pleasure it is to go about in long robes and be respected in the market-places,
39 and to have the chief seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
And to have the chief seats in the Synagogues and the first places at feasts;
40 They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”
Who take away the property of widows, and before the eyes of men make long prayers; these will be judged more hardly.
41 As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts.
And he took a seat by the place where the money was kept, and saw how the people put money into the boxes: and a number who had wealth put in much.
42 Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.
And there came a poor widow, and she put in two little bits of money, which make a farthing.
43 Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury.
And he made his disciples come to him, and said to them, Truly I say to you, This poor widow has put in more than all those who are putting money into the box:
44 For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
Because they all put in something out of what they had no need for; but she out of her need put in all she had, even all her living.
