Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Woe to Those at Ease in Zion

I Will Praise Yahweh Throughout My Life

^6 (A)But godliness actually is a means of ^(B)great gain, when accompanied by ^(C)contentment. ⁷ For ^(D)we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. ⁸ And if we ^(E)have food and covering, with these we shall be content. ^9 (F)But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and ^(G)a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For ^(H)the love of money is a root of all ^[a]sorts of evils, and some by aspiring to it have ^(I)wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

¹¹ But you, O ^(J)man of God, ^(K)flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, ^(L)faith, ^(M)love, ^[b]perseverance, gentleness. ^12 (N)Fight the good fight of ^(O)faith. ^(P)Take hold of the eternal life ^(Q)to which you were called, and you made the good ^(R)confession in the presence of ^(S)many witnesses. ^13 (T)I charge you in the presence of God, who ^[c]gives life to all things, and of ^(U)Christ Jesus, who testified the ^(V)good confession ^(W)before Pontius Pilate, ¹⁴ that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the ^(X)appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which He will ^[d]bring about at ^(Y)the proper time—He who is ^(Z)the blessed and ^(AA)only Sovereign, ^(AB)the King of ^[e]kings and ^(AC)Lord of ^[f]lords, ^16 (AD)who alone has immortality and ^(AE)dwells in unapproachable light, ^(AF)whom no man has seen or can see. ^(AG)To Him be honor and eternal might! Amen.

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in ^(AH)this present age ^(AI)not to be haughty or to ^(AJ)set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, ^(AK)who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in ^(AL)good ^[g]works, ^(AM)to be generous and ready to share, ^19 (AN)storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may ^(AO)take hold of that which is life indeed.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. ²⁰ But a poor man named Lazarus ^(A)was laid at his gate, covered with sores, ²¹ and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. ²² Now it happened that the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to ^(B)Abraham’s bosom, and the rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And in ^(C)Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ And he cried out and said, ‘^(D)Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in ^(E)this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that ^(F)during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things. But now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶ And ^[a]besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you are not able, and none may cross over from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I am asking you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—in order that he may ^(G)warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham *said, ‘They have ^(H)Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ But he said, ‘No, ^(I)father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”