code: public static String getArtifactVersion(final String groupId, final String artifactId) {
          final Properties dependencies = new Properties();
          InputStream depInputStream = null;
          try {
              String depFilePath = "META-INF/maven/dependencies.properties";
              URL fileURL = MavenUtils.class.getClassLoader().getResource(depFilePath);
              if (fileURL == null) {
                  // try the TCCL for getResource
                  fileURL = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader().getResource(depFilePath);
              }
              if (fileURL == null) {
                  throw new FileNotFoundException("File [" + depFilePath + "] could not be found in classpath");
              }
              depInputStream = fileURL.openStream();
              dependencies.load(depInputStream);
              final String version = dependencies
                  .getProperty(groupId + "/" + artifactId + "/version");
              if (version == null) {
                  throw new IllegalArgumentException(
                      "Could not resolve version. Do you have a dependency for " + groupId + "/"
                          + artifactId + " in your maven project?");
              }
              return version;
          }
          catch (IOException e) {
              throw new IllegalArgumentException("Could not resolve version for groupId:" + groupId
                  + " artifactId:" + artifactId
                  + " by reading the dependency information generated by maven.", e);
          }
          finally {
              if (depInputStream != null) {
                  try {
                      depInputStream.close();
                  }
                  catch (IOException e) {
                      // ignore exceptions on close.
                  }
              }
          }
      }
docs: Gets the artifact version out of dependencies file. The dependencies file had to be generated
  by using the maven plugin.
  
  @param groupId
  artifact group id
  @param artifactId
  artifact id
  
  @return found version
  
  @throws RuntimeException
  - If artifact version cannot be found