MODERN LITERAL VERSION

12:1 And he began to speak to them in parables: A man planted a vineyard and placed a fence around it and shoveled a winepress in it and built a tower and rented it out to farmers and went abroad.
12:2 And at the harvest time, he sent a bondservant to the farmers, that* he might receive from the fruit of the vineyard from the farmers.
12:3 But they took him and whipped him and sent him away empty handed.
12:4 And again he sent another bondservant to them, and having stoned him, they bashed his head and sent him away, having dishonored him.
12:5 And again, he sent another, and they killed him and many others; whipping some but killing others.
12:6 Therefore, he still had one, his beloved son; he also sent him last to them, saying, They will revere my son.
12:7 But those farmers said among themselves, This is the heir. Come-here. We should kill him and the inheritance will be ours.
12:8 And they took him and killed him and cast him forth outside the vineyard.
12:9 Therefore, what will the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers and will give the vineyard to others.
12:10 Have you* not even read this Scripture, ‘The stone which the builders rejected*, this has become the head of the corner;
12:11 this came* from the Lord and it is marvelous in our eyes'? {Ps. 118:22f}
12:12 And they sought to take-hold of him, and yet they feared the crowd. They knew that he spoke the parable to them and they left him and went away.
{Mt 22:1-14} {Mk 12:13-17 & Mt 22:15-22 & Lk 20:20-26 Courtyard of the Temple, Tues.}

12:13 And they send to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, that* they might catch him in his words.
12:14 And when they came, they say to him, Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care concerning one 's appearance. You do not look at the countenance of men, but teach the way of God by truth. Is it legal to give tribute to Caesar or not?
12:15 Should we give or should we not give?
But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, Why are you* testing me? Bring me a denarius, that* I may see it.
12:16 And they brought it. And he says to them, Whose face is this image and inscription?
And they said to him, Caesar's.

12:17 And Jesus answering, said to them, Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and give to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at him.
{Mk 12:18-27 & Mt 22:23-33 & Lk 20:27-39.}

12:18 And the Sadducees come to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him, saying,
12:19 Teacher, Moses wrote to us, If anyone's brother dies and if he leaves a wife behind him and if he leaves no child, that* his brother should take his wife and should raise* up seed to his brother. {Deut. 25:5}
12:20 There were seven brethren and the first took a wife and dying left no seed;
12:21 and the second took her and died, and left no seed, and the third likewise*;
12:22 and the seven took her and left no seed. Last of all the woman also died.
12:23 In the resurrection, whenever they rise* up, whose wife will she be of them? For* the seven had her as their wife.

12:24 And Jesus answering, said to them, Are you* not being misled because of this, by not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God?
12:25 For* whenever they will rise* up from the dead, they neither marry, nor are they betrothed, but are like messengers who are in the heavens.
12:26 But concerning the dead, that they are raised; have you* not read in the book of Moses, at the place concerning the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?' {Ex. 3:6}
12:27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Therefore you* are much misled.
{Mk 12:28-34 & Mt 22:34-40 & Lk 20:40.}

12:28 And one of the scribes came and heard them debating together and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all?

12:29 And Jesus answered, The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one;'
12:30 and ‘You will love* the Lord your God from all your heart and from all your soul and from all your mind and from all your strength.' This is the first commandment. {Deut. 6:4-6}
12:31 And the second is similar, ‘You will love* your neighbor like yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these. {Lev. 19:18}

12:32 And the scribe said to him, Of a truth, Teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is no other except* he;
12:33 and to love* him from all the heart and from all the understanding and from all the soul and from all the strength and to love* his neighbor like himself, is more-than all the whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered with great perception, he said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And no one dared to ask him any more.
{Mk 12:35-37 & Mt 22:41-46 & Lk 20:41-44.}

12:35 And Jesus answering, said, while teaching in the temple, How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?
12:36 David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I should place your enemies under the footstool of your feet.' {Ps. 110:1}
12:37 Therefore David himself calls him Lord, and is he his son? From where? And the large crowd heard him gladly.
{Mk 12:38-40 & Mt 23:1-39 & Lk 20:45-47 Courts of the Temple, Tues.}

12:38 And he said to them in his teaching, Beware of the scribes, who wish to walk in long robes and to have greetings in the marketplaces,
12:39 and the foremost seats in the synagogues and foremost-places in the suppers.
12:40 They are those who devour widows' houses and are praying long prayers for a pretext; these will receive even-more condemnation.
{Mk 12:41-44 & Lk 21:1-4 In the Temple Treasury, Tues.}

12:41 And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and viewed how the crowd cast brass coins into the treasury and many who were rich were casting in much.
12:42 And a poor widow came and she cast in two bronze-coins, which is equal to a copper coin.
12:43 And he called his disciples to him and says to them, Assuredly I say to you*, This poor widow has cast in more-than all those who are casting in much into the treasury;
12:44 for* they all cast in out of what was abounding to them, but she cast in, out of her lack of all things, as many things as she had, her whole livelihood.
{Jn 12:20-50) In the Temple, Tues}
{Mk 13:1-23 & Mt 24:1-28 & Lk 21:5-24 Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It is best to read Luke 21 first. See also: Lk 19:41-44 & Lk 23:28-31.}