"I amthe true vine,and My Fatheris the vinedresser.
"Yet I plantedyou a choicevine,A completelyfaithfulseed.Howthen have you turnedyourself before Me Into the degenerateshoots of a foreignvine?
For we are God'sfellow workers;you are God'sfield,God'sbuilding.
"Then allyour people[will be] righteous;They will possessthe landforever,The branchof My planting,The workof My hands,That I may be glorified.
In that daythe Branchof the LORDwill be beautifuland glorious,and the fruitof the earth[will be] the prideand the adornmentof the survivorsof Israel.
"For My fleshis true food,and My bloodis true drink.
"Manyshepherdshave ruinedMy vineyard,They have trampleddownMy field;They have madeMy pleasantfieldA desolatewilderness.
On the other hand,I am writinga newcommandmentto you, whichis true in Him and in you, becausethe darknessis passing awayand the true Lightis alreadyshining.
And He beganto speakto them in parables:"A manPLANTEDA VINEYARDAND PUTA WALLAROUNDIT, AND DUGA VAT UNDER THE WINE PRESSAND BUILTA TOWER,and rentedit out to vine-growersand went on a journey.
"Listento anotherparable.There was a landownerwhoPLANTEDA VINEYARDAND PUTA WALLAROUNDIT AND DUGA WINE PRESSIN IT, AND BUILTA TOWER,and rentedit out to vine-growersand went on a journey.
Israelis a luxuriantvine;He producesfruitfor himself. The morehis fruit,The morealtarshe made;The richerhis land,The betterhe madethe [sacred] pillars.
Jesusthensaidto them, "Truly,truly,I sayto you, it is not Moseswho has givenyou the breadout of heaven,but it is My Fatherwho givesyou the true breadout of heaven.
And He [began] tellingthisparable:"A manhada fig treewhich had been plantedin his vineyard;and he camelookingfor fruiton it and did not findany.
"For the kingdomof heavenis likea landownerwhowentout earlyin the morningto hirelaborersfor his vineyard.
"Let us riseearly[and go] to the vineyards;Let us seewhetherthe vinehas budded[And its] blossomshave opened,[And whether] the pomegranateshave bloomed.ThereI will giveyou my love.
Nowlisten,Joshuathe highpriest,you and your friendswho are sittingin frontof you-- indeedthey are menwho are a symbol,for behold,I am going to bringin My servantthe Branch.
There was the true Lightwhich,cominginto the world,enlightenseveryman.
For the Lawwas giventhroughMoses;graceand truthwere realizedthroughJesusChrist.
To grantthose who mourn[in] Zion,Givingthem a garlandinsteadof ashes,The oilof gladnessinsteadof mourning,The mantleof praiseinsteadof a spiritof fainting.So they will be calledoaksof righteousness,The plantingof the LORD,that He may be glorified.
Your motherwas like a vinein your vineyard, Plantedby the waters;It was fruitfuland fullof branchesBecauseof abundantwaters.
But He answeredand said,"EveryplantwhichMy heavenlyFatherdid not plantshall be uprooted.
"Everybranchin Me that does not bearfruit,He takes away;and every[branch] that bearsfruit,He prunesit sothat it may bearmorefruit.
But ifsomeof the brancheswere broken off,and you, beinga wild olive,were graftedin amongthem and becamepartakerwith them of the richrootof the olive tree,
