Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
2 And all the community of the Israelites[a] grumbled against Moses and against Aaron in the desert. 3 And the Israelites[b] said to them, “If only we had died[c] by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots[d] of meat, when we ate bread until we were full,[e] because you have brought us out to this desert to kill all of this assembly with hunger.” 4 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to rain down for you bread from the heavens, and the people will go out and gather enough for the day on its day; in that way I will test them: Will they go according to my law or not? 5 And then on the sixth day, they will prepare what they bring, and it will be twice over what they will gather every other day.”
6 And Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites,[f] “In the evening, you will know that Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning, you will see the glory of Yahweh, for he hears[g] your grumblings against Yahweh, and what are we that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When in the evening Yahweh gives you meat to eat and bread in the morning to fill up on,[h] for he hears[i] your grumblings that you grumble against him—and what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Yahweh.” 9 And Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community of the Israelites,[j] ‘Come near before Yahweh because he has heard your grumblings.’”
10 And at the moment of Aaron’s speaking to all the community of the Israelites,[k] they turned to the desert, and just then[l] the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud. 11 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the grumblings of the Israelites.[m] Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight[n] you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be full with bread, and you will know that I am Yahweh your God.’”
13 And so it was, in the evening, the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning, a layer of dew was all around the camp. 14 And the layer of dew came up, and there[o] on the face of the desert was a fine granular substance, fine like frost on the ground. 15 And the Israelites[p] saw, and they said to each other,[q] “What is this?” because they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread that Yahweh has given to you as food.
Praise to Yahweh for His Work on Behalf of Israel
105 Give thanks to Yahweh; proclaim his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him; sing praises concerning him;
tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Boast about his holy name.
Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
4 Make supplication to Yahweh and his might;
seek his face continually.
5 Remember his wonders that he has done,
his signs and the judgments of his mouth,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant,
you descendants[a] of Jacob, his chosen ones.
37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed,
because the fear of them[a] had fallen upon them.
39 He spread out a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light at night.
40 They[b] asked, and he brought quail,
and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock and waters flowed;
they coursed[c] through the dry places like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise;[d]
he remembered Abraham his servant.
43 And so he brought out his people with joy,
his chosen ones with rejoicing.
44 And he gave to them the lands of the nations,
and they inherited the labor of the peoples,
45 so that they might observe his statutes,
and keep his laws.
Praise Yah.[e]
21 For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if it is to live in the flesh, this is fruitful work for me, and which I will prefer I do not know. 23 But I am hard pressed between the two options[a], having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, for this is very much better[b]. 24 But to stay on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25 And because I am[c] convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that what you can be proud of may increase in Christ Jesus because of me through my return again to you.
Stand Firm for the Gospel
27 Only lead your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent I hear your circumstances[d], that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not letting yourselves be intimidated in anything by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction to them, but of your salvation, and this from God, 29 because to you has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on behalf of him, 30 having the same struggle which you saw in me and now hear about in me.
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man—the master of the house—who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 And after[a] coming to an agreement with the workers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace. 4 And to those people he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. Going out[b] again about the sixth and ninth hour he did the same thing. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and[c] found others standing there and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here the whole day unemployed?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go also into the vineyard.’ 8 And when[d] evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their[e] wages, beginning from the last up to the first.’ 9 And when the ones hired about the eleventh hour came, they received a denarius apiece. 10 And when[f] the first came, they thought that they would receive more, and they also received a denarius apiece. 11 And when they[g] received it,[h] they began to complain[i] against the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last people worked one hour and you made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the burning heat!’ 13 But he answered one of them and[j] said, ‘Friend, I am not doing you wrong. Did you not come to an agreement with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go! But I want to give to this last person the same as I gave[k] to you also. 15 Is it not[l] permitted for me to do whatever I want with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am generous?’ 16 Thus the last will be first and the first last.”
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