Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 130[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
130 From the deep water[c] I cry out to you, O Lord.
2 O Lord, listen to me.[d]
Pay attention to[e] my plea for mercy.
3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of[f] sins,
O Lord, who could stand before you?[g]
4 But[h] you are willing to forgive,[i]
so that you might[j] be honored.[k]
5 I rely on[l] the Lord.
I rely on him with my whole being;[m]
I wait for his assuring word.[n]
6 I yearn for the Lord,[o]
more than watchmen do for the morning,
yes, more than watchmen do for the morning.[p]
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord,
for the Lord exhibits loyal love,[q]
and is more than willing to deliver.[r]
8 He will deliver[s] Israel
from all their sins.[t]
The Creation of Man and Woman
4 This is the account[a] of the heavens and the earth[b] when they were created—when[c] the Lord God[d] made the earth and heavens.[e]
5 Now[f] no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field[g] had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.[h] 6 Springs[i] would well up[j] from the earth and water[k] the whole surface of the ground.[l] 7 The Lord God formed[m] the man from the soil of the ground[n] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,[o] and the man became a living being.[p]
8 The Lord God planted an orchard[q] in the east,[r] in Eden;[s] and there he placed the man he had formed.[t] 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil,[u] every tree that was pleasing to look at[v] and good for food. (Now[w] the tree of life[x] and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil[y] were in the middle of the orchard.)
10 Now[z] a river flows[aa] from Eden[ab] to water the orchard, and from there it divides[ac] into four headstreams.[ad] 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through[ae] the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is pure;[af] pearls[ag] and lapis lazuli[ah] are also there). 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through[ai] the entire land of Cush.[aj] 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria.[ak] The fourth river is the Euphrates.
The Parable of the Sower
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus[a] from one town after another,[b] he spoke to them[c] in a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow[d] his seed.[e] And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds[f] devoured it. 6 Other seed fell on rock,[g] and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns,[h] and they grew up with it and choked[i] it. 8 But[j] other seed fell on good soil and grew,[k] and it produced a hundred times as much grain.”[l] As he said this,[m] he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!”[n]
9 Then[o] his disciples asked him what this parable meant.[p] 10 He[q] said, “You have been given[r] the opportunity to know[s] the secrets[t] of the kingdom of God,[u] but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.[v]
11 “Now the parable means[w] this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil[x] comes and takes away the word[y] from their hearts, so that they may not believe[z] and be saved. 13 Those[aa] on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while,[ab] but[ac] in a time of testing[ad] fall away.[ae] 14 As for the seed that[af] fell among thorns, these are the ones who hear, but[ag] as they go on their way they are choked[ah] by the worries and riches and pleasures of life,[ai] and their fruit does not mature.[aj] 15 But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing[ak] the word, cling to it[al] with an honest and good[am] heart, and bear fruit with steadfast endurance.[an]
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