Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
You Will Not Abandon My Soul
A (A)Miktam[a] of David.
16 Preserve me, O God, for in you I (B)take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
(C)I have no good apart from you.”
4 The sorrows of those who run after[c] another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or (E)take their names on my lips.
5 The Lord is (F)my chosen portion and my (G)cup;
you hold my (H)lot.
6 (I)The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I bless the Lord who (J)gives me counsel;
in (K)the night also my (L)heart instructs me.[d]
8 (M)I have (N)set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my (O)right hand, I shall not be (P)shaken.
Nebuchadnezzar's Humiliation
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, (A)“Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by (B)my mighty power as a royal residence and for (C)the glory of my majesty?” 31 (D)While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 (E)and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, (F)until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. (G)He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws.
Nebuchadnezzar Restored
34 (H)At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and (I)my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored (J)him who lives forever,
(K)for his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and (L)his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 (M)all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
and (N)he does according to his will among the host of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth;
(O)and none can stay his hand
or (P)say to him, “What have you done?”
36 At the same time (Q)my reason returned to me, and for (R)the glory of my kingdom, (S)my majesty and splendor returned to me. (T)My counselors and (U)my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was (V)added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, (W)praise and extol and honor the (X)King of heaven, (Y)for all his works are right and his ways are just; and (Z)those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
The Parable of the Tenants
12 (A)And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted (B)a vineyard (C)and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and (D)leased it to tenants and (E)went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant[a] to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 (F)And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 (G)Again (H)he sent to them another servant, and (I)they struck him on the head and (J)treated him shamefully. 5 (K)And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, (L)a beloved son. (M)Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, (N)‘This is the heir. Come, (O)let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and (P)threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? (Q)He will (R)come and destroy the tenants and (S)give the vineyard to others. 10 (T)Have you not read (U)this Scripture:
(V)“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[b]
11 this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And (W)they were seeking to arrest him (X)but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they (Y)left him and went away.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.