Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.

14 In the second year of Joash, son of Joahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah began to reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem. ³ He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, yet not like David his father. He did according to all that Joash his father had done. ⁴ However the high places were not taken away. The people still sacrificed and burned incense in the high places. ⁵ As soon as the kingdom was established in his hand, he killed his servants who had slain the king his father, ⁶ but the children of the murderers he didn’t put to death, according to that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, as Yahweh commanded, saying, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall die for his own sin.”

⁷ He killed ten thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, and took Sela by war, and called its name Joktheel, to this day. ⁸ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let’s look one another in the face.”

⁹ Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as wife.’ Then a wild animal that was in Lebanon passed by, and trampled down the thistle. ¹⁰ You have indeed struck Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Enjoy the glory of it, and stay at home; for why should you meddle to your harm, that you fall, even you, and Judah with you?”

¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. ¹² Judah was defeated by Israel; and each man fled to his tent. ¹³ Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh and came to Jerusalem, then broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.^{[a] 14} He took all the gold and silver and all the vessels that were found in Yahweh’s house and in the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

4 Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea. ² He taught them many things in parables, and told them in his teaching, ³ “Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds^[a] came and devoured it. ⁵ Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil. ⁶ When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. ⁸ Others fell into the good ground and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.” ⁹ He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁰ When he was alone, those who were around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He said to them, “To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables, ¹² that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.’”^(A)

¹³ He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. ¹⁶ These in the same way are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷ They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble. ¹⁸ Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word, ¹⁹ and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.”