Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 15[a]
A psalm of David.
15 Lord, who may be a guest in your home?[b]
Who may live on your holy hill?[c]
2 Whoever lives a blameless life,[d]
does what is right,
and speaks honestly.[e]
3 He[f] does not slander,[g]
or do harm to others,[h]
or insult his neighbor.[i]
4 He despises a reprobate,[j]
but honors the Lord’s loyal followers.[k]
He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise.[l]
5 He does not charge interest when he lends his money.[m]
He does not take bribes to testify against the innocent.[n]
The one who lives like this[o] will never be shaken.
The Blessing of Victory for God’s People
14 At that time[a] Amraphel king of Shinar,[b] Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations[c] 2 went to war[d] against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).[e] 3 These last five kings[f] joined forces[g] in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).[h] 4 For twelve years[i] they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year[j] they rebelled.[k] 5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated[l] the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert.[m] 7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again,[n] and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazezon Tamar.
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met[o] 9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations,[p] Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against[q] five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits.[r] When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them,[s] but some survivors[t] fled to the hills.[u] 11 The four victorious kings[v] took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 12 They also took Abram’s nephew[w] Lot and his possessions when[x] they left, for Lot[y] was living in Sodom.[z]
13 A fugitive[aa] came and told Abram the Hebrew.[ab] Now Abram was living by the oaks[ac] of Mamre the Amorite, the brother[ad] of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty[ae] with Abram.)[af] 14 When Abram heard that his nephew[ag] had been taken captive, he mobilized[ah] his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders[ai] as far as Dan.[aj] 15 Then, during the night,[ak] Abram[al] divided his forces[am] against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north[an] of Damascus. 16 He retrieved all the stolen property.[ao] He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of[ap] the people.
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]
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