Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 142[a]
Prayer in Time of Abandonment
1 A maskil[b] of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.
2 [c]I cry out to the Lord with my plea;
I entreat the Lord to grant me mercy.
3 Before him I pour out my complaint
and tell my troubles in his presence.
4 [d]No matter how faint my spirit is within me,
you are there to guide my steps.
Along the path on which I travel[e]
they have hidden a trap for me.
5 I look to my right,
but there is no friend who knows me.
There is no refuge available to me;
no one cares whether I live or perish.[f]
6 [g]I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”[h]
7 Listen to my plea for help,
for I am in desperate straits.
Rescue me from those who seek to persecute me,
for they are too strong for me.[i]
8 Set me free from my prison,[j]
so that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will assemble around me
because of your great generosity to me.
17 Even though the fig tree does not blossom
and there is no fruit on the vines,
even though the olive crop will fail
and the orchards will yield no food,
even though the flock is cut off from the fold
and there is no herd in the stalls,
18 I will continue to rejoice in the Lord,
and exult in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength;
he makes my feet as swift as those of a deer
and enables me to tread on the heights.
11 The Parable of the Ten Gold Coins.[a] While the people were listening to him speak, Jesus went on to tell them a parable, because now he was near Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God might appear immediately. 12 He said, “A man of noble birth was preparing to go to a distant country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 So he summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins,[b] instructing them, ‘Trade with the money I have given you until I return.’ 14 But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him to give this message, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
15 “When he returned after having been made king, he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money to ascertain what profit they had made through their trading. 16 The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your money has increased tenfold in value.’ 17 He said to him, ‘Well done, my good servant. Because you have proved trustworthy in this very small matter, you shall be in charge of ten cities.’
18 “Next, the second servant came forward and said, ‘Sir, your money has increased fivefold in value.’ 19 He said to him, ‘You shall be in charge of five cities.’
20 “Then the third one came forward, saying, ‘Sir, here is your money. I kept it wrapped up in a handkerchief. 21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put down, and you reap what you did not sow.’
22 “The master said to him, ‘I will condemn you by your own words, you wicked servant. You knew I was a hard man, taking out what I did not put down, and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not deposit my money into a bank so that on my return I could have drawn it out with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take the money from him and give it to the one with the ten gold coins.’ 25 They said to him, ‘But sir, he already has ten gold coins.’ 26 He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he does have will be taken away. 27 But as for those enemies of mine who did not want me for their king, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.’ ”
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