40. “So what will the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes?”
41. The Jewish priests and leaders said, “He will surely kill those evil men. Then he will lease the land to other farmers, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42. Jesus said to them, “Surely you have read this in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders refused to accept became the cornerstone. The Lord did this, and it is wonderful to us.’ Psalm 118:22-23
43. “So I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you. It will be given to people who do what God wants in his kingdom.
44. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken. And it will crush anyone it falls on.”
45. When the leading priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them.
46. They wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to do anything, because the people believed that Jesus was a prophet.