this authority? Jesus answered and said to them, I also will ask you one question, which, if you tell me, I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Whence was the baptism of John? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned within themselves, saying, If we say from heaven, he will say to us, Why did you not believe him? But if we say from men, we fear the multitude, for all regard John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We do not know. And he said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

2 But what do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first, and said, Son, go and work to-day in the vineyard. But he answered and said, I will not; but afterwards he repented, and went. And he came to the other, and said the same. And he answered and said, I will go sir, but went not. Which of the two did the will of the father? They said to him, The first. Jesus said to them, I tell you truly, that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in a way of righteousness, and you believed him not; but the publicans and harlots believed him; and when you saw this, you did not afterwards repent, that you might believe him.

3 Hear another parable: There was a man, a householder, who planted a vineyard, and made a hedge around it, and dug a wine vat in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went abroad. And when the time of the fruits approached he sent his servants to the husbandmen to receive his fruits. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants more than the first; and they treated them in the same manner. And afterwards he sent them his son, saying, They will reverence my But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him and take his inheritance. And they took him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When, therefore, the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen? They said to him, He will inflict on those men a miserable death, and let out his vineyard to other husbandmen, who will render him the fruits in their seasons.

son.

4 Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the

head of a corner? this is from the Lord, and is wonderful in our eyes? I tell you, therefore, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation yielding its fruits.

5 And the chief priests and Pharisees hearing his parables, knew that he spoke of them; and they sought to take him, but feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet.

CHAPTER XX.

THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING, AND QUESTIONS OF THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES.

1 AND Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man, a king, who made a wedding for his son. And he sent his servants to call the invited to the wedding, and they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell the invited, Behold, I have prepared my supper, my oxen and fatted creatures are killed, and all things are ready; come to the wedding. But they neglected it, and went away, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise; and the rest took his servants and treated them injuriously, and killed them. And the king was angry, and sent his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up their city.

2 Then he said to his servants, The wedding indeed is ready, but the invited were not worthy. Go, therefore, to the crossings of the ways, and invite all you find to the wedding. And those servants went out into the highways, and collected all whom they found, both bad and good, and the wedding was furnished with guests.

3 And the king coming in to see the guests observed there a man who had not on a wedding garment, and said to him, Friend, how came you in here not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind his feet and hands, and cast him into the darkness outside. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few chosen.

4 Then the Pharisees went and took counsel to ensnare him in his words. And they sent to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach

the way of God in truth, and care not for any man; for you regard not the face of men. Tell us, therefore, what you think; is it right to pay tribute to Cæsar or not? Jesus knowing their wickedness, said, Why do you hypocrites try me? Show me the tribute money. And they brought him a denarius [14 cents]. And he said to them, Whose is this image and this inscription? They said to him, Cæsar's. Then he said to them, Give therefore Cæsar's dues to Cæsar, and God's to God. And hearing, they wondered, and went away and left him.

5 On that day the Sadducees came to him, who say there is no resurrection, and asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses said, If any one dies having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers; and the first married, and died; and having no children he left his wife to his brother; in like manner also the second, and third, till the seventh; last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? for they all had her. And Jesus answered and said to them, You err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are married, but are as angels in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not a God of the dead, but of the living. And the multitudes who heard were astonished at his teaching.

6 And the Pharisees hearing that he had silenced the Sadducees, were assembled together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him, to try him, Teacher, what is the great commandment in the law? And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

7 And the Pharisees being assembled together, Jesus asked them, saying, What do you think of the Christ? whose son is he? They said to him, David's. He said to them, How then does David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand till I make your enemies your foot

stool? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son ?

And no

one was able to answer him a word, neither dared any one after that day to question him farther.

CHAPTER XXI.

CHRIST DENOUNCING THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES.

1 THEN Jesus spoke to the multitudes and his disciples, saying, The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. All things therefore which they tell you, do and keep. But do not their works. For they say and do not, but bind heavy burdens and put them on the shoulders of men, but will not move them with their finger. And they do all their works to be seen by men. For they make broad their prayer fillets, and enlarge the fringes, and love the first tables at feasts, and the first seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabbi. But do not you be called Rabbi; For one is your teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on the earth, for one is your heavenly Father. Neither be called leaders, for one is your leader, the Christ. But the greatest of you shall be your servant, and whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

2 But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven before men; for you enter not into it, neither do you suffer those entering to go in. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte; and when he is gained you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. Woe to you blind guides, who say, Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound. Fools and blind! for which is greater, the gold, or the temple which sanctifies the gold? If a man swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if he swears by the gift which is on it, he is bound. Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift? He then that swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things on it; and he that swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him that inhabits it; and he that swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him that sits on it.

3 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith. These you ought to do, and not neglect the others. Blind guides! who strain out a gnat and swallow down a camel. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of plunder and excess. Blind Pharisee! cleanse first that which is in the cup and platter, that its outside may be clean also. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which appear fair without, but within are full of the bones of the dead and of all impurity. So also you on the outside appear just to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. So that you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets; and you have filled up the measure of your fathers. Serpents, offspring of vipers! How can you escape the judgment of hell?

4 Therefore, behold, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will Scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from

city to city; that all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar, may come upon you. I tell you truly, that all these [crimes] shall come on this generation.

5 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets, and stoning those sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, as a bird gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate; for I tell you that you shall not see me henceforth, till you say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord!

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