₁At that time some people were there who told Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices to God. ₂Jesus answered them, “Because those Galileans were killed in that way, do you think it proves that they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans? ₃No indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did. ₄What about those eighteen people in Siloam who were killed when the tower fell on them? Do you suppose this proves that they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem? ₅No indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did.”

₆Then Jesus told them this parable: “There was once a man who had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. He went looking for figs on it but found none. ₇So he said to his gardener, ‘Look, for three years I have been coming here looking for figs on this fig tree, and I haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it go on using up the soil?’ ₈But the gardener answered, ‘Leave it alone, sir, just one more year; I will dig round it and put in some manure. ₉Then if the tree bears figs next year, so much the better; if not, then you can have it cut down.’ ”