1 “Listen to the parable I will tell you about fasting. 2 A man had an estate, and many servants, and on part of his estate he planted a vineyard.⁠a Choosing a trustworthy servant who pleased him and was held in honor, he called him and said to him, ‘Take this vineyard that I planted, and fence it until I come, but do nothing else to the vineyard.⁠b Keep this command of mine, and you will be set free in my house.’ Then the servant’s master went away on a journey. 3 After he left, the servant fenced the vineyard; and when he finished fencing the vineyard, he noticed it was full of weeds. 4 So he thought to himself, ‘I have carried out my master’s command. I will next dig this vineyard, and it will look better when it is dug; and with no weeds it will yield more fruit, as it will not be choked by weeds.’ So he dug the vineyard, and pulled up all the weeds that were in it. And that vineyard became very neat and flourishing, once it had no weeds to choke it. 5 After some time the master of the servant and of the estate came back, and went into the vineyard. Seeing it fenced neatly, and dug as well, and all the weeds pulled up, and the vines flourishing, he was delighted with what his servant had done. 6 So he called his beloved son, who was his heir, and the friends who were his advisers, and told them what he had commanded his servant, and everything he had found done. And they were happy for the servant because of the testimony his master gave him. 7 And he said to them, ‘I promised this servant his freedom, if he kept my command that I gave him; but he not only kept my command but also did a good work for my vineyard, and pleased me greatly. Because of this work he has done, I want to make him joint-heir with my son, because when the good thought occurred to him, he did not neglect it, but carried it out.’ 8 The master’s son agreed to this plan, that the servant should be made joint-heir with the son. 9 After a few days, his master gave a feast, and sent many delicacies from the feast to him. But when the servant received the delicacies sent by his master, he took what he needed, and gave the rest to his fellow servants. 10 His fellow servants, when they received the delicacies, were delighted, and began to pray for him, that he might find greater favor with the master, because he had treated them so kindly. 11 His master heard about all these things, and was delighted again with what he had done. So the master once more gathered together his friends and his son, and told them what the servant had done with the delicacies he had received; and they approved even more strongly of his plan that his servant should be made joint-heir with his son.”