Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
6 Don’t brag to the king
and act as if you are great.
7 It is better for him to give you a higher position
than to bring you down in front of the prince.
Because of something you have seen,
Honest People Are Blessed
112 Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who respect the Lord,
who want what he commands.
2 Their descendants will be powerful in the land;
the children of honest people will be blessed.
3 Their houses will be full of wealth and riches,
and their goodness will continue forever.
4 A light shines in the dark for honest people,
for those who are merciful and kind and good.
5 It is good to be merciful and generous.
Those who are fair in their business
6 will never be defeated.
Good people will always be remembered.
7 They won’t be afraid of bad news;
their hearts are steady because they trust the Lord.
8 They are confident and will not be afraid;
they will look down on their enemies.
9 They give freely to the poor.
The things they do are right and will continue forever.
They will be given great honor.
10 The wicked will see this and become angry;
they will grind their teeth in anger and then disappear.
The wishes of the wicked will come to nothing.
13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those who are in prison as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering as if you were suffering with them.
4 Marriage should be honored by everyone, and husband and wife should keep their marriage pure. God will judge as guilty those who take part in sexual sins. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. God has said,
“I will never leave you;
I will never abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
6 So we can be sure when we say,
“I will not be afraid, because the Lord is my helper.
People can’t do anything to me.” Psalm 118:6
7 Remember your leaders who taught God’s message to you. Remember how they lived and died, and copy their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
15 So through Jesus let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise, coming from lips that speak his name. 16 Do not forget to do good to others, and share with them, because such sacrifices please God.
Healing on the Sabbath
14 On a Sabbath day, when Jesus went to eat at the home of a leading Pharisee, the people were watching Jesus very closely.
Don’t Make Yourself Important
7 When Jesus noticed that some of the guests were choosing the best places to sit, he told this story: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, don’t take the most important seat, because someone more important than you may have been invited. 9 The host, who invited both of you, will come to you and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed and will have to move to the last place. 10 So when you are invited, go sit in a seat that is not important. When the host comes to you, he may say, ‘Friend, move up here to a more important place.’ Then all the other guests will respect you. 11 All who make themselves great will be made humble, but those who make themselves humble will be made great.”
You Will Be Rewarded
12 Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite only your friends, your family, your other relatives, and your rich neighbors. At another time they will invite you to eat with them, and you will be repaid. 13 Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then you will be blessed, because they have nothing and cannot pay you back. But you will be repaid when the good people rise from the dead.”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.