28 “How does this seem to you? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, today go and work in the vineyard.’ 29 The son said, ‘I do not want to,’ but he later regretted this and went and worked. 30 The man went to his other son and said the same thing. That son said, ‘Yes, sir,’ but never went. 31 Which of the two did the will of their father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, truly I tell you that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you on the path of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. You saw this, but it did not make you repent and believe him.

33 “Listen to another parable: A landowner planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a winepress, built a tower, and rented it out to farmers while he travelled abroad. 34 When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers to receive the harvest. 35 But the farmers seized the servants, some of whom the beat, some of whom they pelted with stones, and some of whom they killed. 36 So the landowner sent servants again, more than the first time, and the farmers treated them likewise. 37 Finally, he sent them his son, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the farmers saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, so will gain his inheritance.’ 39 They seized him, cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 So when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death, and he will rent his vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the harvest when it is time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the corner stone. By the Lord has this been done, and it is wondrous in our eyes?' 43 For this reason, I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a people who will produce a harvest. 44 Whoever falls on this stone will shatter, and anyone it falls on will be crushed.

45 When the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they understood that he was talking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd, who considered him a prophet.