Mark 12
1 Jesus began to speak to them in parables, ‘A man once planted a vineyard, put a fence round it, dug a wine-press, built a tower, and then let it out to tenants and went abroad.
And he began to speak to them in parables. A man planted a vineyard, and set up a hedge, and dug a wine vat, and built a tower, and leased it to farmers, and went on a journey.
2 At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants, to receive from them a share of the produce of the grape harvest;
And at the season he sent forth a bondman to the farmers, so that he might receive by the farmers from the fruit of the vineyard.
3 but they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
And having seized him, they beat him, and sent him away empty.
4 A second time the owner sent a servant to them; this man, too, the tenants struck on the head, and insulted.
And again he sent another bondman to them. And that man, having stoned, they wounded in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.
5 He sent another, but him they killed; and so with many others – some they beat and some they killed.
And again he sent another, and that man they killed, and many others, beating some, and killing some.
6 He had still one son, who was very dear to him; and him he sent to them last of all. “They will respect my son,” he said.
Therefore, still having his one beloved son, he also sent him to them, last, saying, They will be made ashamed by my son.
7 But those tenants said to one another “Here is the heir! Come, let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.”
But those farmers said among themselves, This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.
8 So they seized him, and killed him, and threw his body outside the vineyard.
And having taken him, they killed him, and cast him outside of the vineyard.
9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the tenants to death, and he will let the vineyard to others.
What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.
10 ‘Have you never read this passage of scripture? – “The stone which the builders despised has now itself become the cornerstone;
And have ye not read this scripture: The stone that those who build rejected, this came to be into the head of the corner.
11 this cornerstone has come from the Lord, and is marvellous in our eyes.”’
This happened from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes?
12 After this his enemies were eager to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd; for they saw that it was at them that he had aimed the parable. So they left him alone, and went away.
And they sought to seize him. And they feared the multitude, for they knew that he spoke the parable against them. And having left him, they went away.
13 Afterwards they sent to Jesus some of the Pharisees and Herodians, to set a trap for him in the course of conversation.
And they send some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians to him, so that they might catch him in talk.
14 These men came to him and said, ‘Teacher, we know that you are an honest man, and are not afraid of anyone, for you pay no regard to a person’s position, but teach the way of God honestly; are we right in paying taxes to the Emperor, or not?
And when they came, they say to him, Teacher, we have seen that thou are true, and it is not a care to thee about any man, for thou look not to a personage of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it permitted to give tribute to Caesar or not?
15 Should we pay, or should we not pay?’ Knowing their hypocrisy, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you testing me? Bring me a coin to look at.’
Should we give, or should we not give? But Jesus, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, Why do ye test me? Bring me a denarius, so that I may see it.
16 And, when they had brought it, he asked, ‘Whose head and title are these?’ ‘The Emperor’s,’ they said;
And they brought it. And he says to them, Whose is this image and inscription? And they said to him, Caesar's.
17 and Jesus replied, ‘Pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and to God what belongs to God.’ And they were amazed at him.
And having answered, Jesus said to them, Render the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God. And they marveled at him.
18 Next came some Sadducees – the men who maintain that there is no resurrection. Their question was this –
And Sadducees come to him, who say there is no resurrection. And they questioned him, saying,
19 ‘Teacher, in our scriptures Moses decreed that, should a man’s brother die, leaving a widow but no child, the man should take the widow as his wife, and raise up a family for his brother.
Teacher, Moses wrote to us, If a man's brother dies, and leaves behind a wife, and leaves no child, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed for his brother.
20 There were once seven brothers. The eldest married, but died and left no family;
There were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
21 and the second married his widow, and died without family; and so did the third.
And the second took her, and died, neither did he leave seed behind, and the third likewise.
22 All the seven died and left no family. The woman herself died last of all.
And the seven took her, and left no seed. Last of all the woman also died.
23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, all seven brothers having had her as their wife?’
In the resurrection when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as wife.
24 ‘Is not the reason of your mistake,’ answered Jesus, ‘your ignorance of the scriptures and of the power of God?
And having answered, Jesus said to them, Are ye not led astray because of this: not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God?
25 When people rise from the dead, there is no marrying or being married; but they are as angels in heaven.
For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as agents in the heavens.
26 ‘As to the dead, and the fact that they rise, have you never read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God spoke to him saying – “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”?
But about the dead, that they rise, have ye not read in the book of Moses, how God spoke to him at the bush, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
27 He is not God of dead people, but of living. You are greatly mistaken.’
He is not the God of the dead, but God of the living. Ye therefore are much misled.
28 Then came up one of the teachers of the Law who had heard their discussions. Knowing that Jesus had answered them wisely, he asked him this question, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’
And one of the scholars having come, having heard them disputing, knowing that he had answered them well, he questioned him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 ‘The most important,’ answered Jesus, ‘is – “Hear, Israel; the Lord our God is the one Lord;
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, thou Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord,
30 and you must 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 thou shall love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart, and from thy whole soul, and from thy whole mind, and from thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.
31 The second is this – “You must love your neighbour as you love yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’
And this second is similar, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
32 ‘Wisely answered, teacher!’ exclaimed the teacher of the Law. ‘It is true, as you say, that there is one God, and that there is no other besides him;
And the scholar said to him, Well, teacher. Thou spoke in truth that he is one, and there is no other but he.
33 and to love him with all one’s heart, and with all one’s understanding, and with all one’s strength, and to love one’s neighbour as one loves oneself is far beyond all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’
And to love him from the whole heart, and from the whole understanding, and from the whole soul, and from the whole strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 Seeing that he had answered with discernment, Jesus said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one ventured to question him further.
And when Jesus saw him, that he answered wisely, he said to him, Thou are not far from the kingdom of God. And no man dared to question him any more.
35 While Jesus was teaching in the Temple Courts, he asked, ‘How is it that the teachers of the Law say that the Christ is to be David’s son?
And having responded as he taught in the temple, Jesus said, How do the scholars say that the Christ is the son of David?
36 David said himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – “The Lord said to my lord: Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies beneath your feet.”
For David himself said by the Holy Spirit, The Lord says to my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I may place thine enemies a footstool of thy feet.
37 David himself calls him “lord,” how comes it, then, that he is to be his son?’ The mass of the people listened to Jesus with delight.
David himself therefore calls him Lord, and in what way is he his son? And the great multitude heard him gladly.
38 In the course of his teaching, Jesus said, ‘See that you are on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who delight to walk about in long robes, and to be greeted in the streets with respect,
And in his teaching he said to them, Look away from the scholars, those who desire to go about in long robes, and salutations in the marketplaces,
39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues, and places of honour at dinner.
and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at the feasts,
40 They are the men who rob widows of their homes, and make a pretence of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier.’
those who devour widows' houses, and praying long in pretence. These will receive greater condemnation.
41 Then Jesus sat down opposite the chests for the Temple offerings, and watched how the people put money into them. Many rich people were putting in large sums;
And having sat down opposite the treasury, Jesus watched how the multitude cast money into the treasury, and many rich men cast in much.
42 but one poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth very little.
And one poor widow having come, she cast in two mites, which are a quadrans.
43 Then, calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others who were putting money into the chests;
And having summoned his disciples, he says to them, Truly I say to you, that this poor widow cast in more than all those who are casting into the treasury.
44 for everyone else put in something from what he had to spare, while she, in her need, put in all she had – everything that she had to live on.’
For they all cast in from that which is abundant to them, but she from her need cast in all, as many things she had, her whole living.
