Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

He exhorts to pray for all people. He will not have women in showy attire, nor to teach in the congregation, but to be in silence and to obey their husbands.

2 I exhort therefore that, above all things, prayers, supplications, intercessions, and giving of thanks be had for all people, ² for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may live a quiet and a peaceable life in all godliness and sanctity. ³ For that is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, ⁴ who would have all people saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, which is the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself a ransom for all, that it should be testified at his time. ⁷ For this I am ordained a preacher and an apostle. I speak the truth in Christ, and do not speak falsely, being the teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

The parable of the wicked mammon. Not one tittle of God’s word shall perish. Of the rich man and poor Lazarus.

16 And he said also to his disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward that was accused of wasting his goods. ² And he summoned him and said to him, How is it that I hear this of you? Give accounts of your stewardship, for you may no longer be steward.

³ The steward said within himself, What can I do? For my master will take away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig, and to beg I am ashamed. ⁴ I know what to do, so that when I am put out of the stewardship, people may receive me into their houses.

⁵ Then he called all his master’s debtors, and said to the first, How much do you owe to my master? ⁶ And he said, A hundred tons of oil. And the steward said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty. ⁷ Then he said to another, What do you owe? And he said, A hundred quarters of wheat. The steward said to him, Take your bill and write eighty.

⁸ And the lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely. For among their own, the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. ⁹ And I say also to you, make friends for yourselves with the wicked mammon, so that when you depart this world, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

¹⁰ He who is faithful in that which is least, the same is faithful in much. And he who is unfaithful in the least is unfaithful also in much. ¹¹ So then, if you have not been faithful in the wicked mammon, who will believe you in that which is true? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in another man’s business, who will give you your own?

¹³ No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will lean to the one and neglect the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.