Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

An Urgent Plea for Help in Trouble

To the Chief Musician. Set to ^[a]“The Lilies.” A Psalm of David.

The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole earth had one language and one ^[a]speech. ² And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land ^(A)of Shinar, and they dwelt there. ³ Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and ^[b]bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. ⁴ And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower ^(B)whose top is in the heavens; let us make a ^(C)name for ourselves, lest we ^(D)be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

^5 (E)But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ⁶ And the Lord said, “Indeed ^(F)the people are one and they all have ^(G)one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they ^(H)propose to do will be withheld from them. ⁷ Come, ^(I)let Us go down and there ^(J)confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So ^(K)the Lord scattered them abroad from there ^(L)over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name is called ^[c]Babel, ^(M)because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

The Narrow Way^(A)

^13 (B)“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ^14 [a]Because narrow is the gate and ^[b]difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

You Will Know Them by Their Fruits^(C)

^15 (D)“Beware of false prophets, ^(E)who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ^16 (F)You will know them by their fruits. ^(G)Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, ^(H)every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ^19 (I)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.