18And in the morning, as he was returning into the city, he hungered. 19And seeing a fig-tree by the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon but leaves only. And he says to it: Let there be no fruit from thee henceforward, forever. And immediately the fig-tree withered away. 20And the disciples seeing it wondered, saying: How did the fig-tree immediately wither away? 21And Jesus answering said to them: Verily I say to you, if ye have faith, and do not doubt, not only shall ye do what is done to the fig-tree, but even if ye say to this mountain, be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done. 22And all things whatever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
23And when he had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said: By what authority doest thou these things; and who gave thee this authority? 24And Jesus answering said to them: I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I too will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25John's immersion, whence was it? From heaven, or from men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying: If we say, From heaven, he will say to us: Why then did ye not believe him? 26But if we say, From men, we fear the multitude; for all hold John as a prophet. 27And they answered Jesus, saying: We do not know. And he said to them: Neither do I say to you, by what authority I do these things.
28But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said: Son, go work to-day in the vineyard. 29And he answering said: I will not; but afterward he repented, and went. 30And he came to the other[30], and said likewise. And he answering said: I will, sir; and went not. 31Which of the two did the father's will? They say to him: The first[31]. Jesus says to them: Verily I say to you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye did not believe him; but the publicans and the harlots believed him; and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
33Hear another parable. There was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and put a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husband-men, and went abroad. 34And when the season of fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits. 35And the husbandmen taking his servants, beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did to them likewise. 37And afterward he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son. 38But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said among themselves: This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and have his inheritance. 39And taking him, they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those husbandmen? 41They say to him: He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out the vineyard to other husbandmen, who will deliver over to him the fruits in their seasons. 42Jesus says to them: Did ye never read in the Scriptures:
The stone which the builders disallowed,
The same is become the head of the corner;
This is from the Lord,
And is wonderful in our eyes.
43Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44And he that falls upon this stone will be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
45And the chief priests and Pharisees, hearing his parables, knew that he spoke of them. 46And they sought to lay hold of him, but feared the multitudes, since they held him as a prophet.