English Standard Version

New Living Translation

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

One day, as Jesusa was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up

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The Authority of Jesus Challenged

One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him.

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and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”

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They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

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He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me,

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“Let me ask you a question first,” he replied.

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was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?”

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“Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

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And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’

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They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John.

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But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

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But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.”

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So they answered that they did not know where it came from.

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So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

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And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

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And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

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The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while.

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Parable of the Evil Farmers

Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years.

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When the time came, he sent a servantb to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

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At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed.

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And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

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So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed.

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And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out.

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A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away.

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Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’

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“‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’

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But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’

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“But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’

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And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

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So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him.
“What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?” Jesus asked.

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He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!”

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“I’ll tell you — he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.”
“How terrible that such a thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested.

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But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?c

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Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean?
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’a

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Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

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Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

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Paying Taxes to Caesar

The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

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The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them — they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people’s reaction.

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So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

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Taxes for Caesar

Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.

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So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality,d but truly teach the way of God.

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“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully.

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Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

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Now tell us — is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

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But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them,

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He saw through their trickery and said,

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“Show me a denarius.e Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”

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“Show me a Roman coin.b Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.

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He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

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“Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

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And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

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So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.

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Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection

There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection,

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Discussion about Resurrection

Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees — religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead.

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and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the manf must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.

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They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.c

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Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children.

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Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children.

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And the second

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So the second brother married the widow, but he also died.

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and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.

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Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children.

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Afterward the woman also died.

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Finally, the woman also died.

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In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.”

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So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!”

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And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,

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Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on earth.

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but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,

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But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

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for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sonsg of the resurrection.

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And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

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But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

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“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised — even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lordd as ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’e

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Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”

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So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”

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Then some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.”

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“Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there.

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For they no longer dared to ask him any question.

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And then no one dared to ask him any more questions.

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Whose Son Is the Christ?

But he said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is David’s son?

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Whose Son Is the Messiah?

Then Jesus presented them with a question. “Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of David?

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For David himself says in the Book of Psalms,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,

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For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand

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until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

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until I humble your enemies,
making them a footstool under your feet.’f

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David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

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Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”

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Beware of the Scribes

And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples,

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Then, with the crowds listening, he turned to his disciples and said,

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“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,

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“Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets.

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who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

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Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be severely punished.”

Parallel

English Standard Version

New Living Translation

Luke 20

Luke 20