Book of Common Prayer
A first monster
13 Then I saw a monster coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. Each of the ten horns was wearing a coronet, and blasphemous names were written on the heads. 2 The monster I saw was like a leopard, with bear’s feet and a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave the monster its power and its throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads appeared to have been slaughtered and killed, but its fatal wound had been healed. The whole earth was awed and astonished by the monster, 4 and worshiped the dragon because it had given the monster its authority. They worshiped the monster too. “Who is like the monster?” they were saying. “Who can fight against it?” 5 And the monster was given a mouth that speaks great, blasphemous words, and was given authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, to curse his name and his dwelling place—that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted the right to make war against God’s holy people and to defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8 So everyone who lived on earth worshiped it—everyone, that is, whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the slaughtered lamb.
9 If anyone has ears, let them hear!
10 If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed. This is a summons for God’s holy people to be patient and have faith.
The parable of the rich fool
13 Someone from the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me!”
14 “Tell me, my good man,” replied Jesus, “who appointed me as a judge or arbitrator over you?
15 “Watch out,” he said to them, “and beware of all greed! Your life doesn’t consist of the sum total of your possessions.”
16 He told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a fine harvest. 17 ‘What shall I do?’ he said to himself. ‘I don’t have enough room to store my crops!
18 “ ‘I know!’ he said. ‘I’ll pull down my barns—and I’ll build bigger ones! Then I’ll be able to store all the corn and all my belongings there. 19 And I shall say to my soul, Soul, you’ve got many good things stored up for many years. Take it easy! Eat, drink, have a good time!’
20 “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This very night your life will be demanded of you! Now who’s going to have all the things you’ve got ready?’ 21 That’s how it is with someone who stores up things for himself and isn’t rich before God.
22 “So let me tell you this,” he said to the disciples. “Don’t be anxious about your life—what you should eat; or about your body—what you should wear. 23 Life is more than food! The body is more than clothing! 24 Think about the ravens: they don’t sow seed, they don’t gather harvests, they don’t have storehouses or barns; and God feeds them. How much more will he feed you! Think of the difference between yourselves and the birds!
25 “Which of you by being anxious can add a day to your lifetime? 26 So if you can’t even do a little thing like that, why worry about anything else? 27 Think about the lilies and the way they grow. They don’t work hard, they don’t weave cloth; but, let me tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was dressed up like one of them. 28 So if that’s how God clothes the grass in the field—here today, into the fire tomorrow—how much more will he clothe you, you little-faith lot!
29 “So don’t you go hunting about for what to eat or what to drink, and don’t be anxious. 30 The nations of the world go searching for all that stuff, and your father knows you need it. 31 This is what you should search for: God’s kingdom! Then all the rest will be given you as well.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.