³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.^(A)

²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

²⁴ What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare^[a] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?^(A)

²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

³¹ Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

³² Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more.^(A) What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten,^(B) I will not destroy it.”

¹² Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom^(A) for the sake of his people Israel.

Living to Please God

4 As for other matters, brothers and sisters,^(A) we instructed you how to live^(B) in order to please God,^(C) as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ^(A) and to die is gain.

The Parable of the Sower^(A)(B)

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.^(C) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.