4. “The immersion of Yoḥanan – was it from heaven or from men?”
5. And they debated among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He shall say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
6. “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people shall stone us, for they are persuaded that Yoḥanan was a prophet.”
7. And they answered that they did not know from where it was.
8. And יהושע said to them, “Neither do I say to you by what authority I do these.”
9. And He began to speak this parable to the people, “A certain man planted a vineyard, and leased it to farmers, and went away for a long time.
10. “And at harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers, to give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
11. “And again he sent another servant. And they beat him too and maltreated him, and sent him away empty-handed.
12. “And again he sent a third. And they wounded him too and cast him out.
13. “And the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I shall send my son, the beloved. They might respect him when they see him.’
14. “But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, so that the inheritance becomes ours.’
15. “And they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, shall the owner of the vineyard do to them?
16. “He shall come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others.” And having heard, they said, “Let it not be!”
17. But He looked at them and said, “What then is this that has been written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner-stone’?
18. “Everyone who falls on that stone shall be broken, but on whomever it falls, he shall be pulverised.”
19. And the chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on Him in the same hour, but they feared the people, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them.
20. And keeping a close watch on Him, they sent spies who pretended to be righteous, to catch Him in a word, in order to deliver Him to the rule and to the authority of the governor.