Luke 20
Wycliffe's Bible
1And it was done in one of the days, when he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, (or evangelized), the princes of (the) priests, and [the] scribes came together with the elder men; (And it was done on one of the days, when he taught the people in the Temple, and preached the Gospel, or evangelized, the high priests, and the scribes came together with the elders;) 2and they said to him, Say to us, in what power thou doest these things, or who is he that gave to thee this power? 3And Jesus answered, and said to them, And I shall ask you one word; answer ye to me. (And Jesus said to them, And I shall ask you a question; you answer me.) 4Was the baptism of John of heaven, or of men? (Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men?) 5And they thought within themselves, saying, For if we say, Of heaven (From heaven), he shall say, Why then believe ye not to him? 6and if we say, Of men (From men), all the people shall stone us; for they be certain, that John is a prophet. 7And they answered, that they knew not, of whence it was. 8And Jesus said to them, Neither I say to you, in what power I do these things.

9And he began to say to the people this parable. A man planted a vineyard, and hired it (out) to tillers; and he was gone in pilgrimage (for a) long time. (And he told the people this parable. A man planted a vineyard, and rented it to farmers, and then went on a journey for a long time.) 10And in the time of gathering of grapes, he sent a servant to the tillers, that they should give to him of the fruit of the vineyard; which beat him, and let him go (away) void. (And at the time of gathering in the grapes, he sent a servant to the farmers, so that they could give him some of the fruit of the vineyard; but they beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.) 11And he thought yet to send another servant; and [also] they beat this, and tormented him sore, and let him go (away) void (and sent him away empty-handed). 12And he thought yet to send the third, and him also they wounded, and casted him out (and threw him out). 13And the lord of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I shall send my dearworthy son; peradventure, when they see him, they shall dread (him), (or they shall be ashamed in his presence) (perhaps, when they see him, they shall fear him/ they shall show some reverence, or some respect, for him). 14And when the tillers saw him, they thought within themselves, and said, This is the heir, slay we him, that the heritage be ours. (But when the farmers saw him, they said to each other, He is the heir, let us kill him, and then the inheritance shall be ours.) 15And they casted him out of the vineyard (And they threw him out of the vineyard), and killed him. What shall then the lord of the vineyard do to them? 16He shall come, and destroy these tillers, and give the vineyard to others. And when this thing was heard, they said to him, God forbid.

17But he beheld them, and said, What then is this that is written, The stone which men building reproved, this is made into the head of the corner?

18Each that shall fall on that stone, shall be bruised, (or shall be broken), but on whom it shall fall, it shall break him all to pieces, (or into small parts).

19And the princes of (the) priests, and (the) scribes, sought to lay on him hands in that hour [And the princes of the priests, and the scribes, sought to lay hands on him in that hour], and they dreaded the people; for they knew that to them he said this likeness. (And the high priests, and the scribes, wanted to lay their hands on him at that time, but they feared the people; for they knew that he had said this parable about them.) 20And they espied, and sent spies, that feigned them[selves] (to be) just, that they should take him in word, and betake him to the power of the prince, and to the power of the justice. (And they watched him, and sent spies, who pretended to be righteous men, or good men, so that they could catch him with his own words, and then deliver him unto the power, and the authority, of the Governor.) 21And they asked him, and said, Master (Teacher), we know, that rightly thou sayest and teachest [Master, we know, that thou sayest and teachest rightly]; and thou takest not the person of man (and thou favourest not any person), but thou teachest in truth the way of God. 22Is it leaveful to us to give tribute to the emperor, (or to Caesar), or nay? (Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?) 23And he beheld the deceit of them, and said to them, What tempt ye me? (Why do you test me?) 24Show ye to me a penny; whose image and superscription hath it? They answered, and said to him, The emperor's [Caesar’s]. 25And he said to them, Yield ye therefore to the emperor those things that be the emperor's [Yield ye therefore to Caesar those things that be Caesar’s], and those things that be of God, to God. 26And they might not reprove his word before the people; and they wondered in his answer, and held (their) peace.

27Some of the Sadducees, that denied the again-rising from death to life, (or the resurrection), came, and asked him. 28and said, Master (Teacher), Moses wrote to us, if the brother of any man have a wife, and he be dead, (or he died), and he was without heirs, (or free children), that his brother take his wife, and raise (up) seed to his brother. 29And so there were seven brethren. The first took a wife, and is dead without heirs, (or without sons, or free children); 30and the brother (pur)suing took her (and the brother following took her) [and the second took her], and he is dead without (any) son; 31and the third took her; also and all seven, and they left not seed [and left no seed], but be dead; 32and the last of all the woman is dead. 33Therefore in the rising again, whose wife of them shall she be? for seven had her to wife. (And so at the resurrection, whose wife of them shall she be? for all seven had her as their wife.)

34And Jesus said to them, Sons of this world wed, and be given to weddings; 35but they that shall be had worthy of that world, and of the rising again from death (and of the resurrection from the dead), neither be wedded, nor wed wives, 36neither they shall be able to die more; for they be even with (the) angels, and be the sons of God, since they be the sons of the rising again from death. (nor shall they be able to die any longer; for they be equal with the angels, and be the sons of God, since they be the sons of the resurrection.) 37And that dead men rise again, also Moses showed beside the bush, as he saith (And that the dead rise again, Moses showed beside the bush, when he said), The Lord God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob. 38And God is not (the God) of dead men, but of living men; for all men live to him. (And God is not the God of the dead, but of the living; because everyone is alive to him.) 39And some of the scribes answering, said, Master, thou hast well-said (Teacher, thou hast answered well). 40And they durst no more ask him anything. (And they did not dare to ask him anything more.)

41But he said to them, How say men, Christ to be the son of David, [Forsooth he said to them, How say men, that Christ is the son of David,] (And he said to them, How can men say, that the Messiah is the Son of David,)

42and David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right half, (and David himself said in the Book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, or on my right side,)

43till I put thine enemies a stool of thy feet? (until I make thy enemies thy footstool?) 44Therefore David calleth him Lord, and how is he his son? (And so if David calleth him Lord, then how is he his son?)

45And in (the) hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, 46Be ye ware of the scribes, that will wander in stoles, and love salutations in the chapping, and the first chairs in the synagogues, and the first sitting places in [the] feasts; (Beware of the scribes, who will walk about in stoles, and love respectful greetings at the market, and the first chairs in the synagogues, and the first sitting places at the feasts;) 47that devour the houses of widows, and feign long praying; these shall take the more damnation. (but who rob widows of their homes, and fake piety, by saying long prayers; yea, they shall receive the greater condemnation.)

WYCLIFFE’S BIBLE

Comprising of
Wycliffe’s Old Testament

and

Wycliffe’s New Testament
(Revised Edition)


Translated by

JOHN WYCLIFFE
and JOHN PURVEY


A modern-spelling edition of their
14TH century Middle English translation,
the first complete English vernacular version,
with an Introduction by

TERENCE P. NOBLE

Used by Permission

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