Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 142
When My Spirit Grows Faint
Heading
A maskil[a] by David. When he was in the cave.[b] A prayer.
A Prayer for the Weary
1 With my voice I cry out to the Lord.
With my voice I call to the Lord for mercy.
2 I pour out my complaint before him.
I tell my distress before him.
3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
you are the one who knows my course.
On the path where I walk they have hidden a snare for me.
4 Look to my right and see.
There is no one who recognizes me.
There is no escape for me.
No one cares about my life.
5 I cry out to you, Lord.
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Pay attention to my loud cry,
because I am very weak.
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
because they are too strong for me.
7 Set me free from my prison,
so I can give thanks to your name.
Then the righteous will gather around me,
because you have accomplished your purpose for me.
17 The fig tree may have no buds.
The vines may have no grapes.
The olive tree may fail to produce.
The fields may yield no food.
The sheep may be cut off from their flock,
and there may be no cattle in the barns,
18 but I will delight in the Lord
and rejoice in God who saves me.
19 The Lord God is my strength.
He will give me feet like a deer
and make me leap along the high hills.
To the choir director. On my stringed instruments.
Parable of the Ten Minas
11 As they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 So he said, “A man of noble birth traveled to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then to return. 13 He called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.[a] ‘Conduct business until I return,’ he said to them.
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to be king over us.’
15 “When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what they had gained by conducting business.
16 “The first one came to him and said, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten more minas.’
17 “He said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you were faithful in a very small matter, you will have authority over ten cities.’
18 “The second one came and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced five more minas.’
19 “So he said to him, ‘You will be over five cities.’
20 “And another one came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina that I laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 For I was afraid of you, since you are a demanding man. You take what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “He said to him, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you with your own words! You knew that I am a demanding man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Then why did you not put my money in the bank? Then, when I returned, I could have collected it with interest!’
24 “He said to those standing there, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’
25 “But they said to him, ‘Master, he already has ten minas!’
26 “‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 27 Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.