Luke 20

New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel

Luke 20

1Now it came to pass on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him,Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων, διδάσκοντος αὐτοῦ τὸν λαὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ καὶ εὐαγγελιζομένου, ἐπέστησαν οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς σὺν τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις,

2and they spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν, λέγοντες, Εἰπὲ ἡμῖν, ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς, ἢ τίς ἐστιν ὁ δούς σοι τὴν ἐξουσίαν ταύτην;

3But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and so tell Me:Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς, Ἐρωτήσω ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ ἕνα λόγον, καὶ εἴπατέ μοι·

4The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”Τὸ βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἦν, ἢ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων;

5And they debated among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’Οἱ δὲ συνελογίσαντο πρὸς ἑαυτούς, λέγοντες ὅτι Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν, Ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἐρεῖ, Διὰ τί οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε αὐτῷ;

6But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”Ἐὰν δὲ εἴπωμεν, Ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καταλιθάσει ἡμᾶς· πεπεισμένος γάρ ἐστιν Ἰωάννην προφήτην εἶναι.

7So they answered that they did not know where it was from.Καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν μὴ εἰδέναι πόθεν.

8And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”Καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Οὐδὲ ἐγὼ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ.

9Then He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to farmers, and went on a journey for a long time.Ἤρξατο δὲ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν λέγειν τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην· Ἄνθρωπος ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ἐξέδοτο αὐτὸν γεωργοῖς, καὶ ἀπεδήμησε χρόνους ἱκανούς·

10Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the farmers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers flogged him and sent him away empty-handed.καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τοὺς γεωργοὺς δοῦλον, ἵνα ἀπὸ τοῦ καρποῦ τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος δῶσιν αὐτῷ. Οἱ δὲ γεωργοὶ δείραντες αὐτὸν ἐξαπέστειλαν κενόν.

11And again he sent another servant; and they flogged him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.Καὶ προσέθετο πέμψαι ἕτερον δοῦλον· οἱ δὲ κἀκεῖνον δείραντες καὶ ἀτιμάσαντες ἐξαπέστειλαν κενόν.

12And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and threw him out.Καὶ προσέθετο πέμψαι τρίτον· οἱ δὲ καὶ τοῦτον τραυματίσαντες ἐξέβαλον.

13“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps when they see him they will respect him.’Εἶπε δὲ ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, Τί ποιήσω; Πέμψω τὸν υἱόν μου τὸν ἀγαπητόν· ἴσως τοῦτον ἰδόντες ἐντραπήσονται.

14But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’Ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτὸν οἱ γεωργοὶ διελογίζοντο πρὸς ἑαυτούς, λέγοντες, Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ κληρονόμος· δεῦτε, ἀποκτείνωμεν αὐτόν, ἵνα ἡμῶν γένηται ἡ κληρονομία.

15And casting him out of the vineyard, they killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?Καὶ ἐκβαλόντες αὐτὸν ἔξω τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, ἀπέκτειναν. Τί οὖν ποιήσει αὐτοῖς ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος;

16He will come and destroy those farmers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “May it never be!”Ἐλεύσεται καὶ ἀπολέσει τοὺς γεωργοὺς τούτους, καὶ δώσει τὸν ἀμπελῶνα ἄλλοις. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ εἶπον, Μὴ γένοιτο.

17Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this which is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone’?Ὁ δὲ ἐμβλέψας αὐτοῖς εἶπε, Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ γεγραμμένον τοῦτο, Λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας;

18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”Πᾶς ὁ πεσὼν ἐπ᾽ ἐκεῖνον τὸν λίθον συνθλασθήσεται· ἐφ᾽ ὃν δ᾽ ἂν πέσῃ, λικμήσει αὐτόν.

19And the chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on Him that very hour, but they were afraid—for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them.Καὶ ἐζήτησαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς ἐπιβαλεῖν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν· ἔγνωσαν γὰρ ὅτι πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην εἶπε.

20And having watched Him closely, they sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.Καὶ παρατηρήσαντες ἀπέστειλαν ἐγκαθέτους, ὑποκρινομένους ἑαυτοὺς δικαίους εἶναι, ἵνα ἐπιλάβωνται αὐτοῦ λόγου, εἰς τὸ παραδοῦναι αὐτὸν τῇ ἀρχῇ καὶ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος.

21Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth:Καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν, λέγοντες, Διδάσκαλε, οἴδαμεν ὅτι ὀρθῶς λέγεις καὶ διδάσκεις· καὶ οὐ λαμβάνεις πρόσωπον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀληθείας τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ διδάσκεις.

22Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”Ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι, ἢ οὔ;

23But perceiving their craftiness, He said to them, “Why do you test Me?Κατανοήσας δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν πανουργίαν, εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς, Τί με πειράζετε;

24Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered and said, “Caesar's.”Ἐπιδείξατέ μοι δηνάριον· τίνος ἔχει εἰκόνα καὶ ἐπιγραφήν; Ἀποκριθέντες δὲ εἶπον, Καίσαρος.

25And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ἀπόδοτε τοίνυν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι, καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ.

26But they could not catch Him in His words in front of the people. And marveling at His answer, they kept silent.Καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἐπιλαβέσθαι αὐτοῦ ῥήματος ἐναντίον τοῦ λαοῦ· καὶ θαυμάσαντες ἐπὶ τῇ ἀποκρίσει αὐτοῦ, ἐσίγησαν.

27Then some of the Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, coming to Him and asked Him,Προσελθόντες δέ τινες τῶν Σαδδουκαίων, οἱ ἀντιλέγοντες ἀνάστασιν μὴ εἶναι, ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν,

28saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and this man dies childless, that his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.λέγοντες, Διδάσκαλε, Μωσῆς ἔγραψεν ἡμῖν, Ἐάν τινος ἀδελφὸς ἀποθάνῃ ἔχων γυναῖκα, καὶ οὗτος ἄτεκνος ἀποθάνῃ, ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ.

29Now there were seven brothers. And the first, having taken a wife, died childless.Ἑπτὰ οὖν ἀδελφοὶ ἦσαν· καὶ ὁ πρῶτος λαβὼν γυναῖκα, ἀπέθανεν ἄτεκνος·

30And the second took her as wife, and this man died childless.καὶ ἔλαβεν ὁ δεύτερος τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ οὗτος ἀπέθανεν ἄτεκνος.

31Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and they died.Καὶ ὁ τρίτος ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν ὡσαύτως. Ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ οἱ ἑπτά· οὐ κατέλιπον τέκνα, καὶ ἀπέθανον.

32Last of all the woman died also.Ὕστερον δὲ πάντων ἀπέθανε καὶ ἡ γυνή.

33Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.”Ἐν τῇ οὖν ἀναστάσει, τίνος αὐτῶν γίνεται γυνή; Οἱ γὰρ ἑπτὰ ἔσχον αὐτὴν γυναῖκα.

34And Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου γαμοῦσι καὶ ἐκγαμίσκονται·

35But those who have been counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;οἱ δὲ καταξιωθέντες τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐκείνου τυχεῖν καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν οὔτε γαμοῦσιν οὔτε ἐκγαμίζονται·

36nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.οὔτε γὰρ ἀποθανεῖν ἔτι δύνανται· ἰσάγγελοι γάρ εἰσι, καὶ υἱοί εἰσι τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῆς ἀναστάσεως υἱοὶ ὄντες.

37Now even Moses revealed that the dead are raised, in the burning bush passage, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’Ὅτι δὲ ἐγείρονται οἱ νεκροί, καὶ Μωσῆς ἐμήνυσεν ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου, ὡς λέγει, Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν Ἁβραὰμ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν Ἰακώβ.

38For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all are alive to Him.”Θεὸς δὲ οὐκ ἔστι νεκρῶν, ἀλλὰ ζώντων· πάντες γὰρ αὐτῷ ζῶσιν.

39Then some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.”Ἀποκριθέντες δέ τινες τῶν γραμματέων εἶπον, Διδάσκαλε, καλῶς εἶπας.

40But after that they dared not question Him anymore.Οὐκέτι δὲ ἐτόλμων ἐπερωτᾶν αὐτὸν οὐδέν.

41And He said to them, “How is it that they say the Christ is the Son of David?Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς, Πῶς λέγουσι τὸν Χριστὸν υἱὸν Δαυὶδ εἶναι;

42Even David himself said in the Book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,Καὶ αὐτὸς Δαυὶδ λέγει ἐν βίβλῳ ψαλμῶν, Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου,

43till I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου.

44Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?”Δαυὶδ οὖν Κύριον αὐτὸν καλεῖ, καὶ πῶς υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐστιν;

45And as all the people listened, He said to His disciples,Ἀκούοντος δὲ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, εἶπε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ,

46“Beware of the scribes, who desire to walk about in long robes, and love greetings in the market places, and the first seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at dinners,Προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῶν γραμματέων τῶν θελόντων περιπατεῖν ἐν στολαῖς, καὶ φιλούντων ἀσπασμοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς, καὶ πρωτοκαθεδρίας ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς, καὶ πρωτοκλισίας ἐν τοῖς δείπνοις·

47who devour widows' houses, and for a show make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”οἳ κατεσθίουσι τὰς οἰκίας τῶν χηρῶν, καὶ προφάσει μακρὰ προσεύχονται. Οὗτοι λήψονται περισσότερον κρίμα.

The Fathers on Luke 20

Saint Augustine comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.

On Luke 20:1, 8

Saint Augustine

Latin Fathers · c. 400 AD · The Harmony of the Gospels

Matthew continues his narrative in the following terms: “And when He was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto Him as He was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things?

Read The Harmony of the Gospels →