Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
10 Then God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways(A)—so God relented from the disaster(B) He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it.
Jonah’s Anger
4 But Jonah was greatly displeased and became furious.(C) 2 He prayed to the Lord:(D) “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place.(E) I knew that You are a merciful and compassionate God,(F) slow to become angry, rich in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster.(G) 3 And now, Lord, please take my life from me,(H) for it is better for me to die than to live.”(I)
4 The Lord asked, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it.(J) He made himself a shelter there and sat in its shade to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant,[a] and it grew up to provide shade over Jonah’s head to ease his discomfort.[b] Jonah was greatly pleased with the plant. 7 When dawn came the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, and it withered.(K)
8 As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind.(L) The sun beat down so much on Jonah’s head(M) that he almost fainted, and he wanted to die. He said, “It’s better for me to die than to live.”(N)
9 Then God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“Yes,” he replied. “It is right. I’m angry enough to die!”
10 So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. 11 Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh,(O) which has more than 120,000 people[c] who cannot distinguish between their right and their left,(P) as well as many animals?”(Q)
Psalm 145
Praising God’s Greatness
A Davidic hymn.
1 I[a] exalt You, my God the King,
and praise Your name forever and ever.(A)
2 I will praise You every day;
I will honor Your name forever and ever.(B)
3 Yahweh is great and is highly praised;(C)
His greatness is unsearchable.(D)
4 One generation will declare Your works to the next
and will proclaim Your mighty acts.(E)
5 I[b] will speak of Your splendor and glorious majesty
and[c] Your wonderful works.(F)
6 They will proclaim the power of Your awe-inspiring acts,
and I will declare Your greatness.[d](G)
7 They will give a testimony of Your great goodness
and will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.(H)
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and great in faithful love.(I)
Living Is Christ
21 For me, living is Christ(A) and dying is gain.(B) 22 Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful(C) work(D) for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. 23 I am pressured by both. I have the desire to depart and be with Christ(E)—which is far better(F)— 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith,(G) 26 so that, because of me, your confidence may grow(H) in Christ Jesus(I) when I come to you again.
27 Just one thing: Live your life(J) in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm(K) in one(L) spirit, with one mind,[a] working side by side for the faith(M) that comes from the gospel, 28 not being frightened in any way by your opponents.(N) This is a sign of destruction for them,(O) but of your deliverance(P)—and this is from God. 29 For it has been given to you on Christ’s behalf not only to believe(Q) in Him, but also to suffer for Him, 30 having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I have.
The Parable of the Vineyard Workers
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.(A) 2 After agreeing with the workers on one denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine in the morning,[a] he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 To those men he said, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. 5 About noon and at three,[b] he went out again and did the same thing. 6 Then about five[c] he went and found others standing around,[d] and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.
“‘You also go to my vineyard,’ he told them.[e] 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay,(B) starting with the last and ending with the first.’[f]
9 “When those who were hired about five[g] came, they each received one denarius. 10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. 11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: 12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!’(C)
13 “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?(D) 14 Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my business?[h] Are you jealous[i] because I’m generous?’[j](E)
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