Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

³⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ³⁷ “Tell Eleazar^(A) son of Aaron, the priest, to remove the censers^(B) from the charred remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy— ³⁸ the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives.^(C) Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar,^(D) for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign^(E) to the Israelites.”

³⁹ So Eleazar the priest^(F) collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned to death,^(G) and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, ⁴⁰ as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense^(H) before the Lord,^(I) or he would become like Korah and his followers.^(J)

⁴¹ The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the Lord’s people,” they said.

⁴² But when the assembly gathered in opposition^(K) to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the tent of meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord^(L) appeared. ⁴³ Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the tent of meeting, ⁴⁴ and the Lord said to Moses, ⁴⁵ “Get away from this assembly so I can put an end^(M) to them at once.” And they fell facedown.

⁴⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer^(N) and put incense in it, along with burning coals from the altar, and hurry to the assembly^(O) to make atonement^(P) for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord;^(Q) the plague^(R) has started.” ⁴⁷ So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people,^(S) but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. ⁴⁸ He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.^{(T) 49} But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.^{(U) 50} Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the tent of meeting, for the plague had stopped.^[a]

¹³ It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise^(A) that he would be heir of the world,^(B) but through the righteousness that comes by faith.^{(C) 14} For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless,^{(D) 15} because the law brings wrath.^(E) And where there is no law there is no transgression.^(F)

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace^(G) and may be guaranteed^(H) to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.^{(I) 17} As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[a](J) He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life^(K) to the dead and calls^(L) into being things that were not.^(M)

¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations,^(N) just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”^{[b](O) 19} Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead^(P)—since he was about a hundred years old^(Q)—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.^{(R) 20} Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened^(S) in his faith and gave glory to God,^{(T) 21} being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.^{(U) 22} This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”^{(V) 23} The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us,^(W) to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him^(X) who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.^{(Y) 25} He was delivered over to death for our sins^(Z) and was raised to life for our justification.^(AA)

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like^(A) a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.^{(B) 2} He agreed to pay them a denarius^[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came,^(C) the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble^(D) against the landowner. ¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat^(E) of the day.’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend.^(F) Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’^(G)

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”^(H)