Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
18 Then I said,[a]
“There is no cure[b] for my grief!
I am sick at heart!
19 I hear my dear people[c] crying out[d]
throughout the length and breadth of the land.[e]
They are crying, ‘Is the Lord no longer in Zion?
Is her divine King[f] no longer there?’”
The Lord answers,[g]
“Why then do they provoke me to anger with their images,
with their worthless foreign idols?[h]
20 They cry,[i] ‘Harvest time has come and gone and the summer is over,[j]
and still we have not been delivered.’
21 My heart is crushed because my dear people[k] are being crushed.[l]
I go about crying and grieving. I am overwhelmed with dismay.[m]
22 There is still medicinal ointment[n] available in Gilead!
There is still a physician there![o]
Why then have my dear people[p]
not been restored to health?[q]
9 (8:23)[r] I wish that my head were a well full of water[s]
and my eyes were a fountain full of tears!
If they were, I could cry day and night
for those of my dear people[t] who have been killed.
Psalm 79[a]
A psalm of Asaph.
79 O God, foreigners[b] have invaded your chosen land;[c]
they have polluted your holy temple
and turned Jerusalem into a heap of ruins.
2 They have given the corpses of your servants
to the birds of the sky,[d]
the flesh of your loyal followers
to the beasts of the earth.
3 They have made their blood flow like water
all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them.[e]
4 We have become an object of disdain to our neighbors;
those who live on our borders taunt and insult us.[f]
5 How long will this go on, O Lord?[g]
Will you stay angry forever?
How long will your rage[h] burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not acknowledge you,[i]
on the kingdoms that do not pray to you.[j]
7 For they have devoured Jacob
and destroyed his home.
8 Do not hold us accountable for the sins of earlier generations.[k]
Quickly send your compassion our way,[l]
for we are in serious trouble.[m]
9 Help us, O God, our deliverer!
For the sake of your glorious reputation,[n] rescue us.
Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation.[o]
Prayer for All People
2 First of all, then, I urge that requests,[a] prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people,[b] 2 even for kings[c] and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 Such prayer for all[d] is good and welcomed before God our Savior, 4 since he wants[e] all people[f] to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one intermediary[g] between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human,[h] 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time.[i] 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle—I am telling the truth;[j] I am not lying—and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
The Parable of the Clever Steward
16 Jesus[a] also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations[b] that his manager[c] was wasting[d] his assets. 2 So[e] he called the manager[f] in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you?[g] Turn in the account of your administration,[h] because you can no longer be my manager.’ 3 Then[i] the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position[j] away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig,[k] and I’m too ashamed[l] to beg. 4 I know[m] what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’[n] 5 So[o] he contacted[p] his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 The man[q] replied, ‘100 measures[r] of olive oil.’ The manager[s] said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’[t] 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man[u] replied, ‘100 measures[v] of wheat.’ The manager[w] said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write 80.’[x] 8 The[y] master commended the dishonest[z] manager because he acted shrewdly.[aa] For the people[ab] of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries[ac] than the people[ad] of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth,[ae] so that when it runs out you will be welcomed[af] into the eternal homes.[ag]
10 “The one who is faithful in a very little[ah] is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy[ai] in handling worldly wealth,[aj] who will entrust you with the true riches?[ak] 12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy[al] with someone else’s property,[am] who will give you your own[an] ? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate[ao] the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise[ap] the other. You cannot serve God and money.”[aq]
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.