Psalm 81^[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] Of Asaph.

The Mountain of the Lord^(A)

4 In the last days

² Many nations will come and say,

The Lord’s Plan

⁶ “In that day,” declares the Lord,

²⁴ Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.^{(A) 25} As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control^(B) and the judgment^(C) to come, Felix was afraid^(D) and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” ²⁶ At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

²⁷ When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus,^(E) but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews,^(F) he left Paul in prison.^(G)

Paul’s Trial Before Festus

25 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus^(H) went up from Caesarea^(I) to Jerusalem, ² where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.^{(J) 3} They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.^{(K) 4} Festus answered, “Paul is being held^(L) at Caesarea,^(M) and I myself am going there soon. ⁵ Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”

⁶ After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court^(N) and ordered that Paul be brought before him.^{(O) 7} When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him,^(P) but they could not prove them.^(Q)

⁸ Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple^(R) or against Caesar.”

⁹ Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor,^(S) said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”^(T)

¹⁰ Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews,^(U) as you yourself know very well. ¹¹ If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”^(V)

¹² After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

The Parable of the Sower^(A)

8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.^(B) The Twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene)^(C) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s^(D) household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

⁴ While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: ⁵ “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. ⁶ Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(E)

⁹ His disciples asked him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you,^(F) but to others I speak in parables, so that,

¹¹ “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.^{(H) 12} Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.^{(I) 14} The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches^(J) and pleasures, and they do not mature. ¹⁵ But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.