Mark 12
1 Jesus began to speak to them in parables, “A man once planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine-press, built a tower, and then let it out to tenants and went abroad.
Then He began to speak to them in figurative language. "There was once a man," He said, "who planted a vineyard, fenced it round, dug a pit for the wine-tank, and built a strong lodge. Then he let the place to vine-dressers and went abroad.
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;
At vintage-time he sent one of his servants to receive from the vine-dressers a share of the grapes.
3 but they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
But they seized him, beat him cruelly and sent him away empty-handed.
4 A second time the owner sent a servant to them; this man, too, the tenants struck on the head, and insulted.
Again he sent to them another servant: and as for him, they wounded him in the head and treated him shamefully.
5 He sent another, but him they killed; and so with many others – some they beat and some they killed.
Yet a third he sent, and him they killed. And he sent many besides, and them also they ill-treated, beating some and killing others.
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.
He had still one left whom he could send, a dearly-loved son: him last of all he sent, saying, "'They will treat my son with respect.'
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 men--the vine-dressers--said to one another, "'Here is the heir: come, let us kill him, and then the property will one day be ours.'
8 So they seized him, and killed him, and threw his body outside the vineyard.
"So they took him and killed him, and flung his body outside 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 owner of the vineyard do?" "He will come and put the vine-dressers to death," they said; "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;
"Have you not read even this passage," He added, "'The stone which the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone:
11 this cornerstone has come from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes.’”
this Cornerstone came from the Lord, and is wonderful in our esteem?'"
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 kept looking out for an opportunity to seize Him, but were afraid of the people; for they saw that in this parable He had referred to them. So they left Him and went away.
13 Afterward they sent to Jesus some of the Pharisees and Herodians, to set a trap for him in the course of conversation.
Their next step was to send to Him some of the Pharisees and of Herod's partisans to entrap Him in conversation.
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?
So they came to Him. "Rabbi," they said, "we know that you are a truthful man and you do not fear any one; for you do not recognize human distinctions, but teach God's way truly. Is it allowable to pay poll-tax 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.”
Shall we pay, or shall we refuse to pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, replied, "Why try to ensnare me? Bring me a shilling for me to look at."
16 And, when they had brought it, he asked, “Whose head and title are these?” “The Emperor’s,” they said;
They brought one; and He asked them, "Whose is this likeness and this inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied.
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.
"What is Caesar's," replied Jesus, "pay to Caesar--and what is God's, pay to God." And they wondered exceedingly at Him.
18 Next came some Sadducees – the men who maintain that there is no resurrection. Their question was this –
Then came to Him a party of Sadducees, a sect which denies that there is any Resurrection; and they proceeded to question Him.
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.
"Rabbi," they said, "Moses made it a law for us: 'If a man's brother should die and leave a wife, but no child, the man shall marry the widow and raise up a family for his brother.'
20 There were once seven brothers. The eldest married, but died and left no family;
There were once seven brothers, the eldest of whom married a wife, but at his death left no family.
21 and the second married his widow, and died without family; and so did the third.
The second married her, and died, leaving no family; and the third did the same.
22 All the seven died and left no family. The woman herself died last of all.
And so did the rest of the seven, all dying childless. Finally the woman also died.
23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, all seven brothers having had her as their wife?”
At the Resurrection whose wife will she be? For they all seven married her."
24 “Is not the reason of your mistake,” answered Jesus, “your ignorance of the scriptures and of the power of God?
"Is not this the cause of your error," replied Jesus--"your ignorance alike of the Scriptures and of 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 have risen from among the dead, men do not marry and women are not given in marriage, but they are as angels are in Heaven.
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 as to the dead, that they rise to life, have you never read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the Bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, 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 dead, but of living men. You are in grave error."
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?”
Then one of the Scribes, who had heard them disputing and well knew that Jesus had given them an answer to the point, and a forcible one, came forward and asked Him, "Which is the chief of all the Commandments?"
29 “The most important,” answered Jesus, “is – ‘Hear, Israel; the Lord our God is the one Lord;
"The chief Commandment," replied Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O 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 shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind, and thy whole strength.'
31 The second is this – ‘You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
"The second is this: 'Thou shalt love thy fellow man as thou lovest thyself.' "Other Commandment greater than these there is none."
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;
So the Scribe said to Him, "Rightly, in very truth, Rabbi, have you said that He stands alone, and there is none 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 neighbor as one loves oneself is far beyond all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
and To love Him with all one's heart, with all one's understanding, and with all one's strength, and to love one's fellow man no less than oneself, is far better than all our 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.
Perceiving that the Scribe had answered wisely Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." No one from that time forward ventured to put any question to Him.
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?
But, while teaching in the Temple, Jesus asked, "How is it the Scribes say that the Christ is a 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.’
David himself said, taught by the Holy Spirit, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I have made thy foes a footstool under 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 calls Him 'Lord:' how then can He be his son?" And the mass of people found pleasure in listening to Jesus.
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,
Moreover in the course of His teaching He said, "Be on your guard against the Scribes who like to walk about in long robes and to be bowed to in places of public resort,
39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at dinner.
and to occupy the best seats in the synagogues and at dinner parties,
40 They are the men who rob widows of their homes, and make a pretense of saying long prayers. Their sentence will be all the heavier.”
and who swallow up the property of widows and then mask their wickedness by making long prayers: these men will receive far heavier punishment."
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;
Having taken a seat opposite the Treasury, He observed how the people were dropping money into the Treasury, and that many of the wealthy threw in large sums.
42 but one poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth very little.
But there came one poor widow and dropped in two farthings, equal in value to a halfpenny.
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;
So He called His disciples to Him and said, "In solemn truth I tell you that this widow, poor as she is, has thrown in more than all the other contributors to 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 have all contributed out of what they could well spare, but she out of her need has thrown in all she possessed--all she had to live on."
