Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 19[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
19 The heavens declare the glory of God;[b]
the sky displays his handiwork.[c]
2 Day after day it speaks out;[d]
night after night it reveals his greatness.[e]
3 There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its[f] voice literally heard.
4 Yet its voice[g] echoes[h] throughout the earth;
its[i] words carry[j] to the distant horizon.[k]
In the sky[l] he has pitched a tent for the sun.[m]
5 Like a bridegroom it emerges[n] from its chamber;[o]
like a strong man it enjoys[p] running its course.[q]
6 It emerges from the distant horizon,[r]
and goes from one end of the sky to the other;[s]
nothing can escape[t] its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life.[u]
The rules set down by the Lord[v] are reliable[w]
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.[x]
8 The Lord’s precepts are fair[y]
and make one joyful.[z]
The Lord’s commands[aa] are pure[ab]
and give insight for life.[ac]
9 The commands to fear the Lord are right[ad]
and endure forever.[ae]
The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy
and absolutely just.[af]
10 They are of greater value[ag] than gold,
than even a great amount of pure gold;
they bring greater delight[ah] than honey,
than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb.
11 Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there;[ai]
those who obey them receive a rich reward.[aj]
12 Who can know all his errors?[ak]
Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of.[al]
13 Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins;[am]
do not allow such sins to control me.[an]
Then I will be blameless,
and innocent of blatant[ao] rebellion.
14 May my words and my thoughts
be acceptable in your sight,[ap]
O Lord, my sheltering rock[aq] and my redeemer.[ar]
21 The king’s heart[a] is in the hand[b] of the Lord like channels of water;[c]
he turns it wherever he wants.
2 All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion,[d]
but the Lord evaluates[e] his thoughts.[f]
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable[g] to the Lord than sacrifice.[h]
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
what the wicked cultivate[i] is sin.
5 The plans of the diligent[j] lead[k] only to plenty,[l]
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.[m]
6 Making a fortune[n] by a lying tongue is like[o] a vapor driven back and forth;[p]
they seek death.[q]
7 The violence[r] done by the wicked[s] will drag them away
because[t] they have refused to do what is right.[u]
8 The way of the guilty person[v] is devious,[w]
but as for the pure,[x] his way is upright.
9 It is better to live on a corner of the housetop[y]
than to share a house[z] with a quarrelsome wife.[aa]
10 The appetite[ab] of the wicked has desired[ac] evil;
his neighbor is shown no favor[ad] in his eyes.
11 When a scorner is punished, the naive[ae] becomes wise;
when a wise person is instructed,[af] he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One[ag] considers[ah] the house[ai] of the wicked;
he overthrows the wicked to their ruin.[aj]
13 The one who shuts his ears[ak] to the cry[al] of the poor,
he too will cry out and will not be answered.[am]
14 A gift given[an] in secret subdues[ao] anger,
and a bribe given secretly[ap] subdues[aq] strong wrath.[ar]
15 Doing[as] justice brings[at] joy to the righteous
and terror[au] to those who do evil.
16 The one who wanders[av] from the way of wisdom[aw]
will end up[ax] in the company of the departed.[ay]
17 The one who loves[az] pleasure[ba] will be[bb] a poor person;[bc]
whoever loves wine and anointing oil[bd] will not be rich.
The Authority of Jesus
23 Now after Jesus[a] entered the temple courts,[b] the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority[c] are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus[d] answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?”[e] They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From people,’ we fear the crowd, for they all consider John to be a prophet.” 27 So[f] they answered Jesus,[g] “We don’t know.”[h] Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you[i] by what authority[j] I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What[k] do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 The boy answered,[l] ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart[m] and went. 30 The father[n] went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered,[o] ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.”[p] Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth,[q] tax collectors[r] and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God! 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although[s] you saw this, you did not later change your minds[t] and believe him.
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