Chapter 12

¹And he began to speak to them in parables: A certain man planted a vineyard and made a hedge about it, and dug a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it to husbandmen; and went into a far country. ²And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant to receive of the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. ³Who having laid hands on him, beat him, and sent him away empty. ⁴And again he sent to them another servant; and him they wounded in the head, and used him reproachfully. ⁵And again he sent another, and him they killed: and many others, of whom some they beat, and others they killed. ⁶Therefore having yet one son, most dear to him; he also sent him unto them last of all, saying: They will reverence my son. ⁷But the husbandmen said one to another: This is the heir; come let us kill him; and the inheritance shall be ours. ⁸And laying hold on him, they killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. ⁹What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those husbandmen; and will give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰And have you not read this scripture, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner: ¹¹By the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes. ¹²And they sought to lay hands on him, but they feared the people. For they knew that he spoke this parable to them. And leaving him, they went their way. ¹³And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and of the Herodians; that they should catch him in his words. ¹⁴Who coming, say to him: Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and carest not for any man; for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar; or shall we not give it? ¹⁵Who knowing their wiliness, saith to them: Why tempt you me? bring me a penny that I may see it. ¹⁶And they brought it him. And he saith to them: Whose is this image and inscription? They say to him, Caesar's. ¹⁷And Jesus answering, said to them: Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him. ¹⁸And there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying: ¹⁹Master, Moses wrote unto us, that if any man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. ²⁰Now there were seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no issue. ²¹And the second took her, and died: and neither did he leave any issue. And the third in like manner. ²²And the seven all took her in like manner; and did not leave issue. Last of all the woman also died. ²³In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. ²⁴And Jesus answering, saith to them: Do ye not therefore err, because you know not the scriptures, nor the power of God? ²⁵For when they shall rise again from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be married, but are as the angels in heaven. ²⁶And as concerning the dead that they rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke to him, saying: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? ²⁷He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You therefore do greatly err. ²⁸And there came one of the scribes that had heard them reasoning together, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him which was the first commandment of all. ²⁹And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God. ³⁰And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. ³¹And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these. ³²And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is no other besides him. ³³And that he should be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength; and to love one's neighbour as one's self, is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices. ³⁴And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question. ³⁵And Jesus answering, said, teaching in the temple: How do the scribes say, that Christ is the son of David? ³⁶For David himself saith by the Holy Ghost: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool. ³⁷David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence is he then his son? And a great multitude heard him gladly. ³⁸And he said to them in his doctrine: Beware of the scribes, who love to walk in long robes, and to be saluted in the marketplace, ³⁹And to sit in the first chairs, in the synagogues, and to have the highest places at suppers: ⁴⁰Who devour the houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer: these shall receive greater judgment. ⁴¹And Jesus sitting over against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much. ⁴²And there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. ⁴³And calling his disciples together, he saith to them: Amen I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury. ⁴⁴For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want cast in all she had, even her whole living.