Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The snares of the world and the gift of God

⁹ Brothers and sisters who find themselves impoverished should celebrate the fact that they have risen to this height— ¹⁰ and those who are rich, that they are brought down low, since the rich will disappear like a wildflower. ¹¹ You see, the rich will be like the grass: when the sun rises with its scorching heat, it withers the grass so that its flower droops and all its fine appearance comes to nothing. That’s what it will be like when the rich wither away in the midst of their busy lives.

¹² God’s blessing on the man who endures testing! When he has passed the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ Nobody being tested should say, “It’s God that’s testing me,” for God cannot be tested by evil, and he himself tests nobody. ¹⁴ Rather, each person is tested when they are dragged off and enticed by their own desires. ¹⁵ Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin; and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear family.