Sirach 15:11-20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Freedom of Choice
11 Do not say, “It was the Lord’s doing that I fell away,”
for he does not do[a] what he hates.(A)
12 Do not say, “It was he who led me astray,”
for he has no need of the sinful.(B)
13 The Lord hates all abominations;
such things are not loved by those who fear him.
14 It was he who created humans in the beginning,
and he left them in the power of their own inclinations.[b](C)
15 If you choose, you can keep the commandments,
and to act faithfully is a matter of your choice.
16 He has placed before you fire and water;
stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.
17 Before each person are life and death,
and whichever one chooses will be given.(D)
18 For great is the wisdom of the Lord;
he is mighty in power and sees everything;(E)
19 his eyes are on those who fear him,
and he knows every human action.(F)
20 He has not commanded anyone to be ungodly,
and he has not given anyone permission to sin.(G)
1 Maccabees 14:4-15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Eulogy of Simon
4 The land[a] had rest all the days of Simon.
He sought the good of his nation;
his rule was pleasing to them,
as was the honor shown him all his days.(A)
5 To crown all his honors he took Joppa for a harbor
and opened a way to the isles of the sea.(B)
6 He extended the borders of his nation
and gained full control of the country.
7 He gathered a host of captives;
he ruled over Gazara and Beth-zur and the citadel,
and he removed its uncleanness from it,
and there was none to oppose him.(C)
8 They tilled their land in peace;
the ground gave its increase
and the trees of the plains their fruit.(D)
9 Old men sat in the streets;
they all talked together of good things,
and the youths put on splendid military attire.
10 He supplied the towns with food
and furnished them with the means of defense,
until his renown spread to the ends of the earth.(E)
11 He established peace in the land,
and Israel rejoiced with great joy.
12 All the people sat under their own vines and fig trees,
and there was none to make them afraid.(F)
13 No one was left in the land to fight them,
and the kings were crushed in those days.
14 He gave help to all the humble among his people;
he sought out the law
and did away with all the renegades and outlaws.
15 He made the sanctuary glorious
and added to the vessels of the sanctuary.
Footnotes
- 14.4 Other ancient authorities add of Judah
Matthew 21:12-32
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
12 Then Jesus entered the temple[a] and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.(A) 13 He said to them, “It is written,
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’
but you are making it a den of robbers.”(B)
14 The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did and heard[b] the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry(C) 16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise for yourself’?”(D)
17 He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
18 In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done.(E) 22 Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”(F)
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”(G) 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why, then, did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet.”(H) 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’(I) 29 He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father[c] went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.(J) 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.(K)
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2 Corinthians 9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Collection for Christians at Jerusalem
9 Now it is not necessary for me to write you about the ministry to the saints, 2 for I know your eagerness, which is the subject of my boasting about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them.(A) 3 But I am sending[a] the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not prove to have been empty in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be;(B) 4 otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be put to shame—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking.[b] 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a bountiful gift and not as an extortion.
6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.(C) 7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not regretfully or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.(D) 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing[c] in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.(E) 9 As it is written,
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.[e] 11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us, 12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13 Through the testing of this ministry you[f] glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your partnership with them and with all others,(G) 14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!(H)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.