1 Jesus spoke to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a tower. Then he rented it to tenant farmers and took a trip.
2 When it was time, he sent a servant to collect from the tenants his share of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 But they grabbed the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
4 Again the landowner sent another servant to them, but they struck him on the head and treated him disgracefully.
5 He sent another one; that one they killed. The landlord sent many other servants, but the tenants beat some and killed others.
6 Now the landowner had one son whom he loved dearly. He sent him last, thinking, They will respect my son.
7 But those tenant farmers said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’