21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people 1 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.” 2 21:45 When 3 the chief priests and the Pharisees 4 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 5 regarded him as a prophet.
1 tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).
2 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.
3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
4 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
5 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.