Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
4 Hear this, (A)you who trample on the needy
and bring the poor of the land to an end,
5 saying, “When will (B)the new moon be over,
that we may sell grain?
And (C)the Sabbath,
that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make (D)the ephah small and the shekel[a] great
and deal deceitfully with false balances,
6 that we may buy the poor for (E)silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals
and sell the chaff of the wheat?”
Who Is like the Lord Our God?
2 (D)Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
3 (E)From the rising of the sun to its setting,
(F)the name of the Lord is (G)to be praised!
4 The Lord is (H)high above all nations,
and his (I)glory above the heavens!
5 (J)Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
6 who (K)looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He (L)raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them (M)sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He (N)gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
(O)Praise the Lord!
Pray for All People
2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 (A)for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and (B)dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and (C)it is pleasing in the sight of (D)God our Savior, 4 who desires (E)all people to be saved and (F)to come to (G)the knowledge of the truth. 5 For (H)there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus, 6 (I)who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is (J)the testimony given (K)at the proper time. 7 (L)For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle ((M)I am telling the truth, I am not lying), (N)a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had (A)a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your (B)management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures[a] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures[b] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his (C)shrewdness. For (D)the sons of this world[c] are (E)more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than (F)the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, (G)make friends for yourselves by means of (H)unrighteous wealth,[d] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 (I)“One who is (J)faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in (K)that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 (L)No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.