The Pharisee and the Publican

⁹ And He also told this parable to some people who ^(A)trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and ^(B)viewed others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men ^(C)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee ^(D)stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I ^(E)fast twice a week; I ^(F)pay tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, ^(G)standing some distance away, ^(H)was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^(I)was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be ^[a]merciful to me, the sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; ^(J)for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

²² And Jesus *answered saying to them, “^(A)Have faith in God. ^23 (B)Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. ²⁴ Therefore I say to you, ^(C)all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. ²⁵ Whenever you ^(D)stand praying, ^(E)forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. ²⁶ [^[a](F)But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

⁵ But if any of you ^(A)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ^[a]without reproach, and ^(B)it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ^(C)ask in faith ^(D)without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, ^(E)driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a ^[b](F)double-minded man, ^(G)unstable in all his ways.

Things to Avoid

4 ^[a]What is the source of quarrels and ^(A)conflicts among you? ^[b]Is not the source your pleasures that wage ^(B)war in your members? ² You lust and do not have; so you ^(C)commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and ^(D)do not receive, because you ask ^[c]with wrong motives, so that you may spend it ^[d]on your pleasures. ⁴ You ^(E)adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with ^(F)the world is ^(G)hostility toward God? ^(H)Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture ^(I)speaks to no purpose: “^[e]He ^[f]jealously desires ^(J)the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But ^(K)He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “^(L)God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ^7 (M)Submit therefore to God. ^(N)Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ^8 (O)Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. ^(P)Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and ^(Q)purify your hearts, you ^(R)double-minded. ^9 (S)Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. ^10 (T)Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

^11 (U)Do not speak against one another, ^(V)brethren. He who speaks against a brother or ^(W)judges his brother, speaks against ^(X)the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not ^(Y)a doer of the law but a judge of it. ¹² There is only one ^(Z)Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is ^(AA)able to save and to destroy; but ^(AB)who are you who judge your neighbor?