Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Hope in the Lord’s Forgiving Love.
A Song of Ascents.
130 Out of the (A)depths I have cried to You, Lord.
2 Lord, (B)hear my voice!
Let (C)Your ears be attentive
To the (D)sound of my pleadings.
3 If You, [a]Lord, were to keep account of guilty deeds,
Lord, who could (E)stand?
4 But there is (F)forgiveness with You,
So that You may be [b](G)revered.
5 I wait for the Lord, my (H)soul waits,
And I [c]wait (I)for His word.
6 My soul waits in hope for the Lord
More than the watchmen (J)for the morning;
Yes, more than the watchmen for the morning.
7 Israel, (K)wait for the Lord;
For with the Lord there is (L)mercy,
And with Him is (M)abundant redemption.
8 And He will (N)redeem Israel
From all his guilty deeds.
The Creation of Man and Woman
4 [a](A)This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in (B)the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. 5 (C)Now no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, (D)for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to [b]cultivate the ground. 6 But a [c]mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole [d]surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man of (E)dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the (F)man became a living [e]person. 8 The Lord God planted a (G)garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused (H)every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; (I)the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a (J)river [f]flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [g]rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it [h]flows around the whole land of (K)Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there as well. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it [i]flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is [j](L)Tigris; it [k]flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the [l](M)Euphrates.
Parable of the Sower
4 (A)Now when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5 “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up. 6 Other seed fell on rocky soil, and when it came up, it withered away because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. 8 And yet other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as much.” As He said these things, He would call out, “(B)The one who has ears to hear, [a]let him hear.”
9 (C)Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable [b]meant. 10 And He said, “(D)To you it has been granted to know the [c]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are told in parables, so that [d](E)while seeing they may not see, and [e]while hearing they may not understand.
11 “Now this is the parable: (F)the seed is the word of God. 12 And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; [f]they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they [g]fall away. 14 And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word [h]with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with [i]perseverance.
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