Isa. 5:1‑7• 1I will sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well beloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill;
2and he dug it up, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine; and he built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed a winepress therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
3And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard.
4What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
5And now let me tell you what I am about to do to my vineyard; I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down;
6and I will lay it waste—it shall not be pruned nor hoed; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold a cry. (Isa. 5:1‑7)
Isa. 28:24‑29• 24Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he [all day] open and break the clods of his ground?
25When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad dill, and scatter cummin, and set the wheat in rows and the barley in an appointed place and the rye in the border thereof?
26His God doth instruct him in judgment, he doth teach him.
27For the dill is not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cartwheel turned about upon the cummin; but dill is beaten out with a staff, and cummin with a rod.
28Bread [-corn] is ground; for he will not ever be threshing it; and though he drive the wheel of his cart and his horses [over it], he would not grind it.
29This also cometh forth from Jehovah of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel, great in wisdom. (Isa. 28:24‑29)
Isa. 61:3,5,11• 3to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, that beauty be given them instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that he might be glorified.
5And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and aliens' sons [shall be] your plowmen and your vinedressers.
11For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isa. 61:3,5,11)
Matt. 13:3‑9,18‑30,36‑42• 3And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went out to sow:
4and as he sowed, some [grains] fell along the way, and the birds came and devoured them;
5and others fell upon the rocky places where they had not much earth, and immediately they sprang up out of [the ground] because of not having [any] depth of earth,
6but when the sun rose they were burned up, and because of not having [any] root were dried up;
7and others fell upon the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them;
8and others fell upon the good ground, and produced fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, and one thirty.
9He that has ears, let him hear.
18Ye, therefore, hear the parable of the sower.
19From everyone who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand [it], the wicked one comes and catches away what was sown in his heart: this is he that is sown by the wayside.
20But he that is sown on the rocky places — this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
21but has no root in himself, but is for a time only; and when tribulation or persecution happens on account of the word, he is immediately offended.
22And he that is sown among the thorns — this is he who hears the word, and the anxious care of this life, and the deceit of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
23But he that is sown upon the good ground — this is he who hears and understands the word, who bears fruit also, and produces, one a hundred, one sixty, and one thirty.
24Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field;
25but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel amongst the wheat, and went away.
26But when the blade shot up and produced fruit, then appeared the darnel also.
27And the bondmen of the householder came up and said to him, Sir, hast thou not sown good seed in thy field? whence then has it darnel?
28And he said to them, A man [that is] an enemy has done this. And the bondmen said to him, Wilt thou then that we should go and gather it [up]?
29But he said, No; lest [in] gathering the darnel ye should root up the wheat with it.
30Suffer both to grow together unto the harvest, and in time of the harvest I will say to the harvestmen, Gather first the darnel, and bind it into bundles to burn it; but the wheat bring together into my granary.
36Then, having dismissed the crowds, he went into the house; and his disciples came to him, saying, Expound to us the parable of the darnel of the field.
37But he answering said, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man,
38and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil [one];
39and the enemy who has sowed it is the devil; and the harvest is [the] completion of [the] age, and the harvestmen are angels.
40As then the darnel is gathered and is burned in the fire, thus it shall be in the completion of the age.
41The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all offences, and those that practice lawlessness;
42and they shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:3‑9,18‑30,36‑42)
Matt. 20:1‑14• 1For the kingdom of the heavens is like a householder which went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard;
2and when he had agreed with the labourers for a denary the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle;
4and to them he said, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard.
8And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto the steward, Call the labourers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a denary.
10And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received every man a denary.
11And when they received it, they murmured against the householder,
12saying, These last have spent one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.
13But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a denary?
14Take up that [which is] thine, and go thy way; it is my will to give unto this last, even as unto thee. (Matt. 20:1‑14)
Matt. 21:23‑44• 23And when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him [as he was] teaching, saying, 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 also will tell you by what authority I do these things:
25The baptism of John, whence was it? of heaven or of men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say to us, Why then have ye not believed him?
26but if we should say, Of men, we fear the crowd, for all hold John for a prophet.
27And answering Jesus they said, We do not know. He also said to them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28But what think ye? A man had two children; and he came to the first and said, Child, go work today in the vineyard.
29And he answered and said, I will not; but afterward he regretted and went.
30And he came to the second, and said likewise; and he answered and said, I [go], sir, and went not.
31Which of the two did the will of the father? They say, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say to you, that the tax gatherers and the harlots go before you into the kingdom of God.
32For John came in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots believed him. And ye, when ye saw, regretted not afterward to believe him.
33Hear another parable: There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and made a fence round it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and left the country.
34But when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his bondmen to the husbandmen to receive his fruits.
35And the husbandmen took his bondmen, and beat one and killed another and stoned another.
36Again he sent other bondmen more than the first, and they did to them likewise.
37And afterward he sent to them his son, saying, They will feel respect for my son.
38But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and get his inheritance.
39And they took and cast him forth out of the vineyard and killed [him].
40When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to these husbandmen?
41They say to him, He will wretchedly destroy those wretches, and let out the vineyard to other husbandmen who shall render him the fruits in their season.
42Jesus says to them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, this was made the corner-stone: of Jehovah this is, and it is marvellous 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 of it.
44And he that falleth on this stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust. (Matt. 21:23‑44)
Mark 4:26‑29• 26And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth,
27and should sleep, and rise up night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28[For] the earth bringeth forth fruit of itself; first the blade, then an ear, then the full corn in the ear.
29But when the fruit is produced, immediately he putteth in the sickle, for the harvest is come. (Mark 4:26‑29)
John 4:35‑38• 35Do not ye say that there are yet four months and the harvest cometh? Lo, I say to you, Lift up your eyes, and behold the fields, for they are white unto harvest already.
36He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37For in this is the saying true, It is one that soweth and another that reapeth.
38I sent you to reap that on which ye have not toiled: others have toiled, and ye have entered into their toil. (John 4:35‑38)
John 15:1‑8• 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2Every branch in me not bearing fruit, he taketh it away; and every one that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3Already ye are clean, because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4Abide in me, and I in you: as the branch cannot bear fruit from itself, unless it abide in the vine; so neither [can] ye, unless ye abide in me.
5I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, he beareth much fruit; because apart from me ye can do nothing.
6If one abide not in me, he is cast out as the branch, and is dried up: and they gather it, and cast [it] into the fire, and it burneth.
7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask what ye will, and it shall come to pass for you.
8In this is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and [ye shall] become my disciples. (John 15:1‑8)