Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was once a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenants, and then left home for a long time.
When the time came to gather the grapes, he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest. But the tenants beat the slave and sent him back without a thing.
So, he sent another slave; but the tenants beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him back without a thing.
Then he sent a third slave; the tenants wounded him, too, and threw him out.
Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!’
But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the owner’s son. Let’s kill him, and his property will be ours!’
So, they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to the tenants?” Jesus asked.
“He will come and kill those men, and turn the vineyard over to other tenants.” When the people heard this, they said, “Surely not!”
Jesus looked at them and asked, “What, then, does this scripture mean? ‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.’
Everyone who falls on that stone will be cut to pieces; and if that stone falls on someone, that person will be crushed to dust.”