Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
2 In the desert the whole community complained about Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only the Lord had let us die in Egypt! There we sat by our pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted! You brought us out into this desert to let us all starve to death!”
4 The Lord said to Moses, “I’m going to send you food from heaven like rain. Each day the people should go out and gather only what they need for that day. In this way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 But on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring home, it should be twice as much as they gather on other days.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard you complaining about him. Why are you complaining about us?” 8 Moses also said, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and all the food you want in the morning. The Lord has heard you complaining about him. Who are we? You’re not complaining about us but about the Lord.”
9 Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community of Israelites, ‘Come into the Lord’s presence. He has heard you complaining.’ ”
10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole community of Israelites, they looked toward the desert. Suddenly, they saw the glory of the Lord in the ⌞column of⌟ smoke.
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I’ve heard the Israelites complaining. Tell them, ‘At dusk you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat all the food you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
13 That evening quails came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, the ground was covered with a thin layer of flakes like frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they asked each other, “What is this?” because they didn’t know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It’s the food the Lord has given you to eat.
105 Give thanks to the Lord.
Call on him.
Make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him.
Make music to praise him.
Meditate on all the miracles he has performed.
3 Brag about his holy name.
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
4 Search for the Lord and his strength.
Always seek his presence.
5 Remember the miracles he performed,
the amazing things he did, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 you descendants of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
37 He brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and no one among his tribes stumbled.
38 The Egyptians were terrified of Israel,
so they were glad when Israel left.
39 He spread out a cloud as a protective covering
and a fire to light up the night.
40 The Israelites asked, and he brought them quail
and filled them with bread from heaven.
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed
and flowed like a river through the dry places.
42 He remembered his holy promise to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with a song of joy.
44 He gave them the lands of ⌞other⌟ nations,
and they inherited what others had worked for
45 so that they would obey his laws
and follow his teachings.
Hallelujah!
21 Christ means everything to me in this life, and when I die I’ll have even more. 22 If I continue to live in this life, my work will produce more results. I don’t know which I would prefer. 23 I find it hard to choose between the two. I would like to leave this life and be with Christ. That’s by far the better choice. 24 But for your sake it’s better that I remain in this life. 25 Since I’m convinced of this, I know that I will continue to live and be with all of you. This will help you to grow and be joyful in your faith. 26 So by coming to you again, I want to give you even more reason to have pride in Christ Jesus with me.
Fighting for the Faith
27 Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I’ll hear all about you. I’ll hear that you are firmly united in spirit, united in fighting for the faith that the Good News brings. 28 So don’t let your opponents intimidate you in any way. This is God’s way of showing them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved. 29 God has given you the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him. 30 You are involved in the same struggle that you saw me having. Now you hear that I’m still involved in it.
A Story about Vineyard Workers
20 “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing to pay the workers the usual day’s wages, he sent them to work in his vineyard. 3 About 9 a.m. he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. 4 He said to them, ‘Work in my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So they went.
5 “He went out again about noon and 3 p.m. and did the same thing. 6 About 5 p.m. he went out and found some others standing around. He said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day long without work?’
7 “ ‘No one has hired us,’ they answered him.
“He said to them, ‘Work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told the supervisor, ‘Call the workers, and give them their wages. Start with the last, and end with the first.’
9 “Those who started working about 5 p.m. came, and each received a day’s wages. 10 When those who had been hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them received a day’s wages. 11 Although they took it, they began to protest to the owner. 12 They said, ‘These last workers have worked only one hour. Yet, you’ve treated us all the same, even though we worked hard all day under a blazing sun.’
13 “The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me on a day’s wages? 14 Take your money and go! I want to give this last worker as much as I gave you. 15 Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Or do you resent my generosity towards others?’
16 “In this way the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
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