9 Then Yeshua (Jesus; Grk. Yesus) started telling this parable to the people: “Once a man planted a vineyard[ref] and rented it out to tenant farmers before heading off on his trips. 10 At the appropriate time of the year, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect his percentage of the profits, but they beat up the slave and sent him back empty-handed. 11 So he sent another slave, but they also beat that one and dishonoured him, then sent him back empty-handed. 12 So the man sent a third slave, and they also wounded this one and threw him off the property. 13 So the master of the vineyard asked himself, ‘What will I do now? Ah, I’ll send my dear son—perhaps they’ll be swayed by him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw the son, they reasoned among themselves, ‘This is the heir. If we kill him, then his inheritance will become ours.’ 15 So they threw him off the property and killed him.

So then, what will the master of the vineyard do to them? 16 He’ll go to the vineyard and destroy those tenant farmers, and will lease the vineyard out to others.”

The people listening looked at Yeshua and said, “Surely that could never happen.”

17 But he looked them in the eyes and asked, “Then what is this statement that was written in the scriptures?

‘The stone which the builders rejected,

that one became the most important stone.’[ref]

18 Everyone who falls onto that stone will be shattered,[ref] and anyone who that stone falls on will be pulverised.”[ref]