Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 92
God’s Love and Faithfulness
A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.
1 It is good to praise Yahweh,
to sing praise to Your name, Most High,(A)
2 to declare Your faithful love in the morning
and Your faithfulness at night,(B)
3 with a ten-stringed harp
and the music of a lyre.(C)
4 For You have made me rejoice, Lord,
by what You have done;
I will shout for joy
because of the works of Your hands.(D)
12 The righteous thrive like a palm tree
and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon.(A)
13 Planted in the house of the Lord,
they thrive in the courts of our God.(B)
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
healthy and green,(C)
15 to declare: “The Lord is just;
He is my rock,
and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”(D)
Judah’s King Amaziah
14 In(A) the second year of Israel’s King Jehoash[a](B) son of Jehoahaz,[b] Amaziah(C) son of Joash became king of Judah. 2 He was 25 years old when he became king and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan[c] and was from Jerusalem. 3 He did what was right in the Lord’s sight, but not like his ancestor David. He did everything his father Joash had done.(D) 4 Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.(E)
5 As soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, Amaziah killed his servants who had murdered his father the king.(F) 6 However, he did not put the children of the murderers to death, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses where the Lord commanded, “Fathers must not be put to death because of children, and children must not be put to death because of fathers; instead, each one will be put to death for his own sin.”(G)
7 Amaziah killed 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.(H) He took Sela(I) in battle and called it Joktheel,(J) which is its name to this very day. 8 Amaziah then sent messengers to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us meet face to face.”(K)
9 King Jehoash of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon once sent a message to the cedar(L) that was in Lebanon,(M) saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. 10 You have indeed defeated Edom, and you have become overconfident.(N) Enjoy your glory and stay at home. Why should you stir up such trouble that you fall—you and Judah with you?”
11 But Amaziah would not listen, so King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah faced off at Beth-shemesh(O) that belongs to Judah. 12 Judah was routed before Israel, and everyone fled to his own tent.(P) 13 King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash,[d] son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down 200 yards[e] of Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate(Q) to the Corner Gate.(R) 14 He took all the gold and silver, all the articles found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace, and some hostages.(S) Then he returned to Samaria.
The Parable of the Sower
4 Again(A) He began to teach(B) by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him. So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was on the shore facing the sea. 2 He taught them many things in parables,(C) and in His teaching(D) He said to them: 3 “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.(E) 4 As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path,(F) and the birds came and ate(G) it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it sprang up right away,(H) since it didn’t have deep soil. 6 When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn’t have a root, it withered.(I) 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce a crop. 8 Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increased(J) 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”(K) 9 Then He said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”(L)
Why Jesus Used Parables
10 When He was alone with the Twelve,(M) those who were around Him asked Him about the parables.(N) 11 He answered them, “The secret(O) of the kingdom of God(P) has been given to you, but to those outside,(Q) everything comes in parables 12 so that
they may look and look,
yet not perceive;
they may listen and listen,
yet not understand;(R)
otherwise, they might turn back—
and be forgiven.”[a](S)[b]
The Parable of the Sower Explained
13 Then(T) He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable?(U) How then will you understand any of the parables? 14 The sower sows(V) the word.(W) 15 These[c] are the ones along the path(X) where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately Satan(Y) comes and takes away the word(Z) sown in them.[d] 16 And these are[e] the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.(AA) 17 But they have no root in themselves; they are short-lived. When pressure(AB) or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately stumble.(AC) 18 Others are sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worries(AD) of this age,(AE) the seduction[f](AF) of wealth,(AG) and the desires(AH) for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.(AI) 20 But the ones sown on good ground are those who hear the word,(AJ) welcome it, and produce a crop:(AK) 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”
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