21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 1
This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 2
21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people 3 who will produce its fruit. 21:44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” 4 21:45 When 5 the chief priests and the Pharisees 6 heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 21:46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the crowds 7 regarded him as a prophet.
1 tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.
2 sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.
3 tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).
4 tc A few witnesses, especially of the Western text (D 33 it sys Or Eussyr), do not contain 21:44. However, the verse is found in א B C L W Z (Θ) 0102 Ë1,13 Ï lat syc,p,h co and should be included as authentic.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
6 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
7 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowds) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Both previous occurrences of “they” in this verse refer to the chief priests and the Pharisees.