New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

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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Jesus' Authority Challenged

And it came to pass on one of the days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and announcing the glad tidings, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up,

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

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and spoke to him saying, Tell us by what authority thou doest these things, or who is it who has given thee this authority?

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

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And he answering said to them, *I* also will ask you [one] thing, and tell me:

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

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The baptism of John, was it of heaven or of men?

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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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And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say, Why have ye not believed him?

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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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but if we should say, Of men, the whole people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.

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So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

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And they answered, they did not know whence.

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

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

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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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The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

And he began to speak to the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard and let it out to husbandmen, and left the country for a long time.

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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 in the season he sent to the husbandmen a bondman, that they might give to him of the fruit of the vineyard; but the husbandmen, having beaten him, sent [him] away empty.

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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 again he sent another bondman; but they, having beaten him also, and cast insult upon him, sent [him] away empty.

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

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And again he sent a third; and they, having wounded him also, cast [him] out.

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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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And the lord of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: perhaps when they see him they will respect [him].

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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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But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir; [come,] let us kill him, that the inheritance may become ours.

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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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And having cast him forth out of the vineyard, they killed [him]. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do to them?

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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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He will come and destroy those husbandmen, and will give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it they said, May it never be!

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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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But he looking at them said, What then is this that is written, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone?

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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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Every one falling on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.

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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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Paying Taxes to Caesar

And the chief priests and the scribes sought the same hour to lay hands on him, and they feared the people; for they knew that he had spoken this parable of them.

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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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And having watched [him], they sent out suborned persons, pretending to be just men, that they might take hold of him in [his] language, so that they might deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor.

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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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And they asked him saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest no [man's] person, but teachest with truth the way of God:

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

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

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He saw through their trickery and said,

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But perceiving their deceit he said to them, Why do ye tempt me?

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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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Shew me a denarius. Whose image and superscription has it? And answering they said, Caesar'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 he said to them, Pay therefore what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God.

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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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And they were not able to take hold of him in [his] expressions before the people, and, wondering at his answer, they were silent.

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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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Sadducees Question the Resurrection

And some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is any resurrection, coming up [to him],

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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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demanded of him saying, Teacher, Moses wrote to us, If any one's brother, who has a wife, die, and he die childless, his brother shall take the wife and raise up seed to his brother.

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

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There were then seven brethren: and the first, having taken a wife, died childless;

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

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and the second [took the woman, and *he* died childless];

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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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and the third took her: and in like manner also the seven left no children and died;

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Finally, the woman also died.

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and last of all the woman also died.

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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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In the resurrection therefore of which of them does she become wife, for the seven had her as wife?

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

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And Jesus said to them, The sons of this world marry and 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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but they who are counted worthy to have part in that world, and the resurrection from among [the] dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;

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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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for neither can they die any more, for they are equal to angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

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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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But that the dead rise, even Moses shewed in [the section of] the bush, when he called [the] Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob;

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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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but he is not God of [the] dead but of [the] living; for all live for him.

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

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And some of the scribes answering said, Teacher, thou hast well spoken.

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

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For they did not dare any more to ask him anything.

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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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Whose Son is the Christ?

And he said to them, How do they say that the Christ is David's son,

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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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and David himself says in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand

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

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until I put thine enemies [as] footstool of thy feet?

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

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David therefore calls him Lord, and how is he his son?

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

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Beware of the Scribes

And, as all the people were listening, he said to his disciples,

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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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Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in long robes, and who love salutations in the market-places, and first seats in the synagogues, and first places at suppers;

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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.”

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who devour the houses of widows, and as a pretext make long prayers. These shall receive a severer judgment.

Parallel

New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Luke 20

Luke 20