Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Character of Those Who May Dwell with the Lord
A Psalm of David.
2 He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the (B)truth in his heart;
3 He who (C)does not backbite with his tongue,
Nor does evil to his neighbor,
(D)Nor does he [b]take up a reproach against his friend;
4 (E)In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
But he honors those who fear the Lord;
He who (F)swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He who does not put out his money at usury,
Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things (G)shall never be moved.
Lot’s Captivity and Rescue
14 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king (A)of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of (B)Elam, and Tidal king of [a]nations, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of (C)Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, (D)Zoar). 3 All these joined together in the Valley of Siddim (E)(that is, the Salt Sea). 4 Twelve years (F)they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked (G)the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, (H)the Zuzim in Ham, (I)the Emim in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 6 (J)and the Horites in their mountain of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and attacked all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites who dwelt (K)in Hazezon Tamar.
8 And the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and joined together in battle in the Valley of Siddim 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of [b]nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of (L)asphalt pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled; some fell there, and the remainder fled (M)to the mountains. 11 Then they took (N)all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way. 12 They also took Lot, Abram’s (O)brother’s son (P)who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
13 Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the (Q)Hebrew, for (R)he dwelt by [c]the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; (S)and they were allies with Abram. 14 Now (T)when Abram heard that (U)his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were (V)born in his own house, and went in pursuit (W)as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants (X)attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is [d]north of Damascus. 16 So he (Y)brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
The Parable of the Sower(A)
4 (B)And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: 5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded [a]a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, (C)“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Purpose of Parables(D)
9 (E)Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”
10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the [b]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that
(F)‘Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.