THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE

THE NEW TESTAMENT
TRANSLATED FROM
THE SYRIAC PESHITO VERSION BY JAMES MURDOCK

Chapter 20

(Luk 20:1) And on one of those days, as he was teaching the people in the temple, and preaching, the chief priests and Scribes, with the Elders, came upon him,

(Luk 20:2) and said to him: Tell us, by what authority thou doest these things? And who is it, that gave thee this authority?

(Luk 20:3) Jesus answered, and said to them: I also will ask you a word, and tell ye me.

(Luk 20:4) The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men ?

(Luk 20:5) And they reasoned with themselves, and said: If we say, From heaven; he will say to us, And why did ye not believe him?

(Luk 20:6) But if we say, From men; all the people will stone us; for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.

(Luk 20:7) And they said to him: We do not know, whence it was.

(Luk 20:8) Jesus said to them: Neither do I tell you, by what authority I do these things.

(Luk 20:9) And he began to utter this similitude to the people: A certain man planted a vineyard, and leased it to cultivators, and went abroad for a long time.

(Luk 20:10) And in time, he sent his servant to the cultivators, that they might give him of the fruits of the vineyard. But the cultivators beat him, and sent him away empty.

(Luk 20:11) And again he sent another servant; and him also they beat, and treated with rudeness, and sent empty away.

(Luk 20:12) And again he sent the third. And they wounded him, and cast him out.

(Luk 20:13) The lord of the vineyard said: What shall I do? I will send my dear son. Perhaps they will look upon him, and be ashamed.

(Luk 20:14) But when the cultivators saw him, they reasoned with themselves, and said: This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.

(Luk 20:15) And they cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them?

(Luk 20:16) He will come, and destroy those cultivators, and will lease the vineyard to others. And when they heard [it], they said: This shall not be.

(Luk 20:17) And he looked upon them, and said: What is that which is written, The stone, which the builders rejected, is become the chief corner stone?

(Luk 20:18) And whoever shall fall upon this stone, will be broken; and on whomsoever it shall fall, it will crush him in pieces.

(Luk 20:19) And the chief priests and Scribes sought to lay hands on him, at that time; but they were afraid of the people; for they knew, that he spoke this similitude against them.

(Luk 20:20) And they sent to him spies, who feigned themselves righteous men, that they might insnare him in discourse, and deliver him up to a court, and to the authority of the president.

(Luk 20:21) And they questioned him, and said to him: Teacher, we know that thou speakest and teachest correctly, and hast no respect of persons, but teachest the way of God in truth.

(Luk 20:22) Is it lawful for us to pay head-money to Caesar, or not?

(Luk 20:23) But he perceived their craftiness, and said: Why tempt ye me?

(Luk 20:24) Show me a denarius. Whose is this image and superscription upon it? They said to him, Caesar's.

(Luk 20:25) Jesus said to them: Then, give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.

(Luk 20:26) And they could not catch from him a word [of accusation] before the people: and they were surprised at his answers, and were silent.

(Luk 20:27) And some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came and questioned him,

(Luk 20:28) and said to him: Teacher, Moses wrote to us, that if a man's brother die, who had a wife without children, his [surviving] brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed to his [deceased] brother.

(Luk 20:29) Now, there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died without children.

(Luk 20:30) And the second took her to wife; and he died without children.

(Luk 20:31) And again, the third took her, and in like manner also all the seven; and they died, and left no children.

(Luk 20:32) At last, the woman likewise died.

(Luk 20:33) In the resurrection, therefore, of which of them will she be the wife, for the seven took her?

(Luk 20:34) Jesus said to them: The children of this world take wives, and wives are given to husbands.

(Luk 20:35) But they who are worthy of that world, and of the resurrection from the dead, do not take wives, nor are wives given to husbands.

(Luk 20:36) Neither can they die any more; for they are as the angels, and are the children of God, because they are children of the resurrection.

(Luk 20:37) But that the dead will arise, even Moses showed; for, at the bush, he maketh mention, while he saith: The Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

(Luk 20:38) Now God is not [the God] of the dead, but of the living; for they all live to him.

(Luk 20:39) And some of the Scribes answered, and said to him: Teacher, thou hast spoken well.

(Luk 20:40) And they did not again venture to question him, on any matter.

(Luk 20:41) And he said also to them: How do the Scribes say of Messiah, that he is the son of David?

(Luk 20:42) And David himself said, in the book of Psalms: The Lord said to my Lord, seat thyself at my right hand,

(Luk 20:43) until I shall place thy foes under thy feet.

(Luk 20:44) If David, therefore, called him, My Lord; how is he his son?

(Luk 20:45) And while all the people heard, he said to his disciples:

(Luk 20:46) Beware of the Scribes, who choose to walk in long robes, and love a salutation in the streets, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the chief couches at suppers:

(Luk 20:47) who eat up the houses of widows, under pretence that they prolong their prayers. They will receive a greater condemnation.