1And he began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad. [12:2] And at the appointed time he sent a slave to the tenant farmers to receive from the farmers a portion of the vineyard's fruit. [12:3] And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. [12:4] And again he sent another slave to them — and him they struck on the head and treated shamefully. [12:5] And he sent another, and that one they killed; and many others — some they beat, some they killed. [12:6] He still had one, a beloved son. He sent him last to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' [12:7] But those tenant farmers said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.' [12:8] And they took him and killed him and threw him outside the vineyard. [12:9] What then will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others. [12:10] Have you not even read this scripture: 'The stone the builders rejected — this has become the cornerstone. [12:11] This came from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? [12:12] And they were seeking to seize him, yet they feared the crowd — for they knew he had spoken the parable against them. And leaving him, they went away.
MRK 12:1-12
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
In the world it was spoken into
In the agrarian economy of 1st-century Galilee, vineyards were a significant investment, often owned by wealthy landowners who lived elsewhere. These landowners would lease their vineyards to tenant farmers , who were expected to pay rent in the form of a portion of the harvest. The landowner’s authority was absolute, and his slaves acted as his agents, collecting the rent at the appointed time . The parable’s depiction of the tenants beating, wounding, and killing the landowner’s slaves would have been shocking, as it violated the honor-shame economy and the social hierarchy of patronage. The tenants’ actions were not just economic rebellion but a direct assault on the landowner’s authority. The mention of the landowner’s son would have evoked the cultural expectation of primogeniture, where the son represented the full authority and inheritance of the father. The parable’s conclusion, with the landowner’s retribution, underscores the inevitability of justice in a society where such defiance could not go unpunished.
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How other translations render this
MRK 12:1
- KJV
- And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
- BSB
- Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
- Koinōnos
- And he began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and he leased it to tenant farmers and went abroad.
MRK 12:2
- KJV
- And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
- BSB
- At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard.
- Koinōnos
- And at the appointed time he sent a slave to the tenant farmers to receive from the farmers a portion of the vineyard's fruit.
MRK 12:3
- KJV
- And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
- BSB
- But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.
- Koinōnos
- And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
MRK 12:4
- KJV
- And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
- BSB
- Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully.
- Koinōnos
- And again he sent another slave to them — and him they struck on the head and treated shamefully.
MRK 12:5
- KJV
- And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
- BSB
- He sent still another, and this one they killed. He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed.
- Koinōnos
- And he sent another, and that one they killed; and many others — some they beat, some they killed.
MRK 12:6
- KJV
- Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
- BSB
- Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
- Koinōnos
- He still had one, a beloved son. He sent him last to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.
MRK 12:7
- KJV
- But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
- BSB
- But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
- Koinōnos
- But those tenant farmers said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.
MRK 12:8
- KJV
- And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
- BSB
- So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
- Koinōnos
- And they took him and killed him and threw him outside the vineyard.
MRK 12:9
- KJV
- What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
- BSB
- What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.
- Koinōnos
- What then will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.
MRK 12:10
- KJV
- And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
- BSB
- Have you never read this Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
- Koinōnos
- Have you not even read this scripture: 'The stone the builders rejected — this has become the cornerstone.
MRK 12:11
- KJV
- This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
- BSB
- This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
- Koinōnos
- This came from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
MRK 12:12
- KJV
- And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.
- BSB
- At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
- Koinōnos
- And they were seeking to seize him, yet they feared the crowd — for they knew he had spoken the parable against them. And leaving him, they went away.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
MRK 12:1
- to farmers:The word translated 'farmers' here refers to tenant farmers, who would work the land and pay a portion of the produce to the landowner as rent, rather than owning the land themselves.
MRK 12:2
- due time:The term translated 'due time' implies a specific, opportune, or appointed moment, not just any time, but the right time for something to happen.
- a servant:The word translated 'a servant' more accurately denotes a slave, someone who is the property of another and bound to their service, rather than a free employee.
MRK 12:4
- stoning:The word translated 'stoning' here literally means to strike someone on the head, implying a severe and potentially fatal blow, not necessarily a general stoning with multiple stones.