Isaiah 5:1-7

New International Version

The Song of the Vineyard

5 I will sing for the one I love
    a song about his vineyard:^(A)
My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.
²He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.^(B)
He built a watchtower^(C) in it
    and cut out a winepress^(D) as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.^(E)

³“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.^(F)
⁴What more could have been done for my vineyard
    than I have done for it?^(G)
When I looked for good grapes,
    why did it yield only bad?^(H)
⁵Now I will tell you
    what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
    and it will be destroyed;^(I)
I will break down its wall,^(J)
    and it will be trampled.^(K)
⁶I will make it a wasteland,^(L)
    neither pruned nor cultivated,
    and briers and thorns^(M) will grow there.
I will command the clouds
    not to rain^(N) on it.”

⁷The vineyard^(O) of the Lord Almighty
    is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice,^(P) but saw bloodshed;
    for righteousness,^(Q) but heard cries of distress.^(R)

Read full chapter

Psalm 80

New International Version

Psalm 80^[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” Of Asaph. A psalm.

¹Hear us, Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead Joseph like a flock.^(A)
You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,^(B)
    shine forth ²before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.^(C)
Awaken^(D) your might;
    come and save us.^(E)

³Restore^(F) us,^(G) O God;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.^(H)

⁴How long,^(I) Lord God Almighty,
    will your anger smolder^(J)
    against the prayers of your people?
⁵You have fed them with the bread of tears;^(K)
    you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.^(L)
⁶You have made us an object of derision^[b] to our neighbors,
    and our enemies mock us.^(M)

⁷Restore us, God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.^(N)

⁸You transplanted a vine^(O) from Egypt;
    you drove out^(P) the nations and planted^(Q) it.
⁹You cleared the ground for it,
    and it took root and filled the land.
¹⁰The mountains were covered with its shade,
    the mighty cedars with its branches.
¹¹Its branches reached as far as the Sea,^[c]
    its shoots as far as the River.^[d]^(R)

¹²Why have you broken down its walls^(S)
    so that all who pass by pick its grapes?
¹³Boars from the forest ravage^(T) it,
    and insects from the fields feed on it.
¹⁴Return to us, God Almighty!
    Look down from heaven and see!^(U)
Watch over this vine,
¹⁵    the root your right hand has planted,
    the son^[e] you have raised up for yourself.

¹⁶Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;^(V)
    at your rebuke^(W) your people perish.
¹⁷Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
    the son of man^(X) you have raised up for yourself.
¹⁸Then we will not turn away from you;
    revive^(Y) us, and we will call on your name.

¹⁹Restore us, Lord God Almighty;
make your face shine on us,
that we may be saved.

Footnotes

Psalm 80:1 In Hebrew texts 80:1-19 is numbered 80:2-20.
Psalm 80:6 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text contention
Psalm 80:11 Probably the Mediterranean
Psalm 80:11 That is, the Euphrates
Psalm 80:15 Or branch

Philippians 3:14-21

New International Version

¹⁴I press on^(A) toward the goal to win the prize^(B) for which God has called^(C) me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Following Paul’s Example

¹⁵All of us, then, who are mature^(D) should take such a view of things.^(E) And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.^(F) ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

¹⁷Join together in following my example,^(G) brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.^(H) ¹⁸For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears,^(I) many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.^(J) ¹⁹Their destiny^(K) is destruction, their god is their stomach,^(L) and their glory is in their shame.^(M) Their mind is set on earthly things.^(N) ²⁰But our citizenship^(O) is in heaven.^(P) And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,^(Q) ²¹who, by the power^(R) that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies^(S) so that they will be like his glorious body.^(T)

Read full chapter

Matthew 21:33-44

New International Version

The Parable of the Tenants^(A)

³³“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted^(B) a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower.^(C) Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.^(D) ³⁴When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants^(E) to the tenants to collect his fruit.

³⁵“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.^(F) ³⁶Then he sent other servants^(G) to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. ³⁷Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir.^(H) Come, let’s kill him^(I) and take his inheritance.’^(J) ³⁹So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

⁴⁰“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

⁴¹“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,”^(K) they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants,^(L) who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’^[a]?^(M)

⁴³“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you^(N) and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”^[b]^(O)

Read full chapter