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Do not claim to be important in the presence of the king
    or vie for a position within the company of great men.
Truly, it is far sweeter to have someone of influence say to you, “Come up here and join us,
    than to be ordered to some lower rank in front of a noble.
Just because you think you have seen something

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Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
    and do not claim a place among his great men;
it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”(A)
    than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.

What you have seen with your eyes

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Psalm 112[a]

Praise the Eternal!
    How blessed are those who revere the Eternal,
    who turn from evil and take great pleasure in His commandments.
Their children will be a powerful force upon the earth;
    this generation that does what is right in God’s eyes will be blessed.
His house will be stocked with wealth and riches,
    and His love for justice will endure for all time.
When life is dark, a light will shine for those who live rightly—
    those who are merciful, compassionate, and strive for justice.
Good comes to all who are gracious and share freely;
    they conduct their affairs with sound judgment.
Nothing will ever rattle them;
    the just will always be remembered.
They will not be afraid when the news is bad
    because they have resolved to trust in the Eternal.
Their hearts are confident, and they are fearless,
    for they expect to see their enemies defeated.
They give freely to the poor;
    their righteousness endures for all time;[b]
    their strength and power is established in honor.
10 The wicked will be infuriated when they see the good man honored!
    They will clench their teeth and dissolve to nothing;
    and when they go, their wicked desires will follow.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112 A Hebrew acrostic poem
  2. 112:9 2 Corinthians 9:9

Psalm 112[a]

Praise the Lord.[b](A)

Blessed are those(B) who fear the Lord,(C)
    who find great delight(D) in his commands.

Their children(E) will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches(F) are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures(G) forever.
Even in darkness light dawns(H) for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.(I)
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,(J)
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;(K)
    they will be remembered(L) forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast,(M) trusting in the Lord.(N)
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;(O)
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.(P)
They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,(Q)
    their righteousness endures(R) forever;
    their horn[c] will be lifted(S) high in honor.

10 The wicked will see(T) and be vexed,
    they will gnash their teeth(U) and waste away;(V)
    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.(W)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  2. Psalm 112:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
  3. Psalm 112:9 Horn here symbolizes dignity.

13 Let love continue among you. Don’t forget to extend your hospitality to all—even to strangers—for as you know, some have unknowingly shown kindness to heavenly messengers in this way. Remember those imprisoned for their beliefs as if you were their cellmate; and care for any who suffer harsh treatment, as you are all one body.

Hold marriage in high esteem, all of you, and keep the marriage bed pure because God will judge those who commit sexual sins.

Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have because He has said, “I will never leave you; I will always be by your side.”[a] Because of this promise, we may boldly say,

The Lord is my help—
    I won’t be afraid of anything.
How can anyone harm me?[b]

Listen to your leaders, who have spoken God’s word to you. Notice the fruits of their lives and mirror their faith.

Jesus the Anointed One is always the same: yesterday, today, and forever.

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Concluding Exhortations

13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.(A) Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,(B) for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.(C) Continue to remember those in prison(D) as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Marriage should be honored by all,(E) and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.(F) Keep your lives free from the love of money(G) and be content with what you have,(H) because God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
    never will I forsake you.”[a](I)

So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”[b](J)

Remember your leaders,(K) who spoke the word of God(L) to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate(M) their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.(N)

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 13:5 Deut. 31:6
  2. Hebrews 13:6 Psalm 118:6,7

15 Through Jesus, then, let us keep offering to God our own sacrifice, the praise of lips that confess His name without ceasing. 16 Let’s not neglect what is good and share what we have, for these sacrifices also please God.

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15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice(A) of praise—the fruit of lips(B) that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others,(C) for with such sacrifices(D) God is pleased.

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14 Another Sabbath Day came and Jesus was invited to an official’s home for a meal. This fellow was a leader of the Pharisees, and Jesus was still under close surveillance by them.

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Jesus at a Pharisee’s House(A)

14 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee,(B) he was being carefully watched.(C)

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Then He noticed how the guests were jockeying for places of honor at the dinner, so He gave them advice.

Jesus: Whenever someone invites you to a wedding dinner, don’t sit at the head table. Someone more important than you might also have been invited, and your host will have to humiliate you publicly by telling you to give your seat to the other guest and to go find an open seat in the back of the room. 10 Instead, go and sit in the back of the room. Then your host may find you and say, “My friend! Why are you sitting back here? Come up to this table near the front!” Then you will be publicly honored in front of everyone. 11 Listen, if you lift yourself up, you’ll be put down, but if you humble yourself, you’ll be honored.

12 Jesus still wasn’t finished. Now He turned to the host who had invited Him to this gathering.

Jesus: When you host a dinner or banquet, don’t invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, or your rich neighbors. If you do, they might invite you to a party of their own, and you’ll be repaid for your kindness. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the amputees, the cripples, the blind. 14 Then you’ll be blessed because they can never repay you. Your reward will come from God at the resurrection of the just and good.

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When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table,(A) he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”(B)

12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,(C) 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”(D)

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