Luke 20:1-38

Other Translations of Luke 20:1-38

King James Version

Jesus' Authority Questioned

20¹ And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him with the elders, ² And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? ³ And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: ⁴ The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? ⁵ And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? ⁶ But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. ⁷ And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. ⁸ And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen

⁹ Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰ And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. ¹¹ And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. ¹² And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. ¹³ Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. ¹⁴ But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. ¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? ¹⁶ He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. ¹⁷ And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? ¹⁸ Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹ And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.

²⁰ And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. ²¹ And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: truly: or, of a truth ²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? ²³ But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? ²⁴ Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. ²⁵ And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. ²⁶ And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.

The Question about the Resurrection

²⁷ Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him, ²⁸ Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. ²⁹ There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second took her to wife, and he died childless. ³¹ And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died. ³² Last of all the woman died also. ³³ Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife. ³⁴ And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: ³⁵ But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: ³⁶ Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. ³⁷ Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

English Standard Version

Jesus' Authority Questioned

20¹ One day, as JesusGreek he was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up ² and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority." ³ He answered them, "I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, ⁴ was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?" ⁵ And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why did you not believe him?' ⁶ But if we say, 'From man,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet." ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it came from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen

⁹ And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. ¹⁰ When the time came, he sent a servantGreek bondservant; also verse 11 to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹  And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²  And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.' ¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.' ¹⁵ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶  He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Surely not!" ¹⁷ But he looked directly at them and said, "What then is this that is written: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?Greek the head of the corner ¹⁸  Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

²⁰ So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. ²¹ So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality,Greek and do not receive a face but truly teach the way of God. ²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" ²³ But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ²⁴ "Show me a denarius.A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's." ²⁵ He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." ²⁶ And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

The Question about the Resurrection

²⁷ There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, ²⁸ and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the manGreek his brother must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second ³¹ and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. ³² Afterward the woman also died. ³³ In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife." ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, ³⁶ for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sonsGreek huioi; see preface of the resurrection. ³⁷ But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him."

The Message

Jesus' Authority Questioned

20¹ One day he was teaching the people in the Temple, proclaiming the Message. The high priests, religion scholars, and leaders confronted ² him and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?" ³ Jesus answered, "First, let me ask you a question: ⁴ About the baptism of John - who authorized it, heaven or humans?" ⁵ They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say 'heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him; ⁶ if we say 'humans,' the people will tear us limb from limb, convinced as they are that John was God's prophet." ⁷ They agreed to concede that round to Jesus and said they didn't know. ⁸ Jesus said, "Then neither will I answer your question."

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen

⁹ Jesus told another story to the people: "A man planted a vineyard. He handed it over to farmhands and went off on a trip. He was gone a long time. ¹⁰ In time he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect the profits, but they beat him up and sent him off empty-handed. ¹¹ He decided to try again and sent another servant. That one they beat black and blue, and sent him off empty-handed. ¹² He tried a third time. They worked that servant over from head to foot and dumped him in the street. ¹³ "Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'I know what I'll do: I'll send my beloved son. They're bound to respect my son.' ¹⁴ "But when the farmhands saw him coming, they quickly put their heads together. 'This is our chance - this is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all to ourselves.' ¹⁵ They killed him and threw him over the fence. "What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? ¹⁶ Right. He'll come and clean house. Then he'll assign the care of the vineyard to others." Those who were listening said, "Oh, no! He'd never do that!" ¹⁷ But Jesus didn't back down. "Why, then, do you think this was written: That stone the masons threw out - It's now the cornerstone!? ¹⁸ "Anyone falling over that stone will break every bone in his body; if the stone falls on anyone, it will be a total smashup."

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹ The religion scholars and high priests wanted to lynch him on the spot, but they were intimidated by public opinion. They knew the story was about them.

²⁰ Watching for a chance to get him, they sent spies who posed as honest inquirers, hoping to trick him into saying something that would get him in trouble with the law. ²¹ So they asked him, "Teacher, we know that you're honest and straightforward when you teach, that you don't pander to anyone but teach the way of God accurately. ²² Tell us: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" ²³ He knew they were laying for him and said, ²⁴ "Show me a coin. Now, this engraving, who does it look like and what does it say?" ²⁵ "Caesar," they said. Jesus said, "Then give Caesar what is his and give God what is his." ²⁶ Try as they might, they couldn't trap him into saying anything incriminating. His answer caught them off guard and left them speechless.

The Question about the Resurrection

²⁷ Some Sadducees came up. This is the Jewish party that denies any possibility of resurrection. They asked, ²⁸ "Teacher, Moses wrote us that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to take the widow to wife and get her with child. ²⁹ Well, there once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless. ³⁰ The second married her and died, ³¹ then the third, and eventually all seven had their turn, but no child. ³² After all that, the wife died. ³³ That wife, now - in the resurrection whose wife is she? All seven married her." ³⁴ Jesus said, "Marriage is a major preoccupation here, ³⁵ but not there. Those who are included in the resurrection of the dead will no longer be concerned with marriage ³⁶ nor, of course, with death. They will have better things to think about, if you can believe it. All ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. ³⁷ Even Moses exclaimed about resurrection at the burning bush, saying, 'God: God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob!' ³⁸ God isn't the God of dead men, but of the living. To him all are alive."

New King James Version

Jesus' Authority Questioned

20¹ Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him ² and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?" ³ But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: ⁴ The baptism of John--was it from heaven or from men?" ⁵ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' ⁶ But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet." ⁷ So they answered that they did not know where it was from. ⁸ And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen

⁹ Then He began to tell the people this parable: "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰ Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹ Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. ¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.' ¹⁴ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' ¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others." And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!" ¹⁷ Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone'? ¹⁸ "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹ And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people--for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

²⁰ So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. ²¹ Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: ²² Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" ²³ But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you test Me? ²⁴ Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" They answered and said, "Caesar's." ²⁵ And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." ²⁶ But they could not catch Him in His words in the presence of the people. And they marveled at His answer and kept silent.

The Question about the Resurrection

²⁷ Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, ²⁸ saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. ³⁰ And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. ³¹ Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. ³² Last of all the woman died also. ³³ Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife." ³⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. ³⁷ But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' ³⁸ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him."

New Living Translation

Jesus' Authority Questioned

20¹ One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. ² They demanded, "By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?" ³ "Let me ask you a question first," he replied. ⁴ "Did John's authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?" ⁵ They talked it over among themselves. "If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn't believe John. ⁶ But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet." ⁷ So they finally replied that they didn't know. ⁸ And Jesus responded, "Then I won't tell you by what authority I do these things."

The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen

⁹ Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story: "A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. ¹⁰ At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. ¹¹ So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹² A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away. ¹³ "'What will I do?' the owner asked himself. 'I know! I'll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.' ¹⁴ "But when the tenant farmers saw his son, they said to each other, 'Here comes the heir to this estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves!' ¹⁵ So they dragged him out of the vineyard and murdered him. "What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to them?" Jesus asked. ¹⁶ "I'll tell you-he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others." "How terrible that such a thing should ever happen," his listeners protested. ¹⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, "Then what does this Scripture mean? 'The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' ¹⁸ Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on."

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹ The teachers of religious law and the leading priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling the story against them-they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the people's reaction.

²⁰ Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. ²¹ "Teacher," they said, "we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. ²² Now tell us-is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" ²³ He saw through their trickery and said, ²⁴ "Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. ²⁵ "Well then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." ²⁶ So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.

The Question about the Resurrection

²⁷ Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees-religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. ²⁸ They posed this question: "Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name. ²⁹ Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. ³⁰ So the second brother married the widow, but he also died. ³¹ Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children. ³² Finally, the woman also died. ³³ So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!" ³⁴ Jesus replied, "Marriage is for people here on earth. ³⁵ But in the age to come, those worthy of being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage. ³⁶ And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection. ³⁷ "But now, as to whether the dead will be raised-even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' ³⁸ So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him."