Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A miktam of David.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream Comes True

²⁸ All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ It took place twelve months later. He was walking on the roof of his palace in Babylon. ³⁰ He said, “Isn’t this the great Babylon I have built as a place for my royal palace? I used my mighty power to build it. It shows how glorious my majesty is.”

³¹ He was still speaking when he heard a voice from heaven. It said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, here is what has been ordered concerning you. Your royal authority has been taken from you. ³² You will be driven away from people. You will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass just as an ox does. Seven periods of time will pass by for you. Then you will recognize that the Most High God rules over all kingdoms on earth. He gives them to anyone he wants.”

³³ What had been said about King Nebuchadnezzar came true at once. He was driven away from people. He ate grass just as an ox does. His body became wet with the dew of heaven. He stayed that way until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle. His nails became like the claws of a bird.

³⁴ At the end of that time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven. My mind became clear again. Then I praised the Most High God. I gave honor and glory to the God who lives forever.

³⁶ My honor and glory were returned to me when my mind became clear again. The glory of my kingdom was given back to me. My advisers and nobles came to me. And I was put back on my throne. I became even greater than I had been before. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give praise and honor and glory to the King of heaven. Everything he does is right. All his ways are fair. He is able to bring down those who live proudly.

The Story of the Renters

12 Jesus began to speak to the people using stories. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it. He dug a pit for a winepress. He also built a lookout tower. He rented the vineyard out to some farmers. Then he went to another place. ² At harvest time he sent a servant to the renters. He told the servant to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they grabbed the servant and beat him up. Then they sent him away with nothing. ⁴ So the man sent another servant to the renters. They hit this one on the head and treated him badly. ⁵ The man sent still another servant. The renters killed him. The man sent many others. The renters beat up some of them. They killed the others.

⁶ “The man had one person left to send. It was his son, and he loved him. He sent him last of all. He said, ‘They will respect my son.’

⁷ “But the renters said to each other, ‘This is the one who will receive all the owner’s property someday. Come, let’s kill him. Then everything will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him. They threw him out of the vineyard.

⁹ “What will the owner of the vineyard do then? He will come and kill those renters. He will give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read what this part of Scripture says,

¹² Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest Jesus. They knew he had told the story against them. But they were afraid of the crowd. So they left him and went away.