Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 142[a]
A well-written song[b] by David, when he was in the cave;[c] a prayer.
142 To the Lord I cry out;[d]
to the Lord I plead for mercy.[e]
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about[f] my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,[g]
you watch my footsteps.[h]
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.[i]
I have nowhere to run;[j]
no one is concerned about my life.[k]
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security[l] in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.[m]
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me[n] from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,[o]
for you will vindicate me.[p]
17 When[a] the fig tree does not bud,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
when the olive trees do not produce[b]
and the fields yield no crops;[c]
when the sheep disappear[d] from the pen
and there are no cattle in the stalls—
18 I will rejoice because of[e] the Lord;
I will be happy because of the God who delivers me!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my source of strength.[f]
He gives me the agility of a deer;[g]
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.[h]
(This prayer is for the song leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)[i]
The Parable of the Ten Minas
11 While the people were listening to these things, Jesus[a] proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought[b] that the kingdom of God[c] was going to[d] appear immediately. 12 Therefore he said, “A nobleman[e] went to a distant country to receive[f] for himself a kingdom and then return.[g] 13 And he summoned ten of his slaves,[h] gave them ten minas,[i] and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ 14 But his citizens[j] hated[k] him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man[l] to be king[m] over us!’ 15 When[n] he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned[o] these slaves to whom he had given the money. He wanted[p] to know how much they had earned[q] by trading. 16 So[r] the first one came before him and said, ‘Sir,[s] your mina[t] has made ten minas more.’ 17 And the king[u] said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been faithful[v] in a very small matter, you will have authority[w] over ten cities.’ 18 Then[x] the second one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 So[y] the king[z] said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another[aa] slave[ab] came and said, ‘Sir, here is[ac] your mina that I put away for safekeeping[ad] in a piece of cloth.[ae] 21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe[af] man. You withdraw[ag] what you did not deposit[ah] and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 The king[ai] said to him, ‘I will judge you by your own words,[aj] you wicked slave![ak] So you knew, did you, that I was a severe[al] man, withdrawing what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put[am] my money in the bank,[an] so that when I returned I could have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to his attendants,[ao] ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten.’[ap] 25 But[aq] they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten minas already!’[ar] 26 ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more,[as] but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.[at] 27 But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king,[au] bring them here and slaughter[av] them[aw] in front of me!’”
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