Restore Our Fortunes, O Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

^4 (A)though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: ^5 (B)circumcised on the eighth day, ^(C)of the people of Israel, ^(D)of the tribe of Benjamin, ^(E)a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, ^(F)a Pharisee; ^6 (G)as to zeal, ^(H)a persecutor of the church; ^(I)as to righteousness under the law,^[a] blameless. ⁷ But ^(J)whatever gain I had, ^(K)I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ Indeed, I count everything as loss because of ^(L)the surpassing worth of ^(M)knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I ^(N)have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having ^(O)a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but ^(P)that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ^10 (Q)that I may know him and ^(R)the power of his resurrection, and ^(S)may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ that by any means possible I may ^(T)attain the resurrection from the dead.

Straining Toward the Goal

¹² Not that I have already ^(U)obtained this or ^(V)am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: ^(W)forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for ^(X)the prize of the upward ^(Y)call of God in Christ Jesus.

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

^9 (A)And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted ^(B)a vineyard and ^(C)let it out to tenants and ^(D)went into another country for a long while. ¹⁰ When the time came, he sent a servant^[a] to the tenants, so that ^(E)they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. ^(F)But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ^11 (G)And ^(H)he sent another servant. But they also beat and ^(I)treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ^12 (J)And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³ Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my ^(K)beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ ¹⁴ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ^(L)‘This is the heir. ^(M)Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵ And they ^(N)threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ^16 (O)He will ^(P)come and destroy those tenants and ^(Q)give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” ¹⁷ But he ^(R)looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

^18 (T)Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls ^(U)on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

^19 (V)The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. ^20 (W)So they ^(X)watched him and sent spies, who ^(Y)pretended to be sincere, that they might ^(Z)catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of ^(AA)the governor.