Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
[a]Maskil of David, when he was [b]in the cave. A Prayer.
142 I (A)cry out with my voice to the Lord;
With my voice I (B)implore the Lord for compassion.
2 I (C)pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare my (D)trouble before Him.
3 When (E)my spirit felt weak within me,
You knew my path.
In the way where I walk
They have (F)hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see;
For there is (G)no one who regards me favorably;
[c]There is no (H)escape for me;
(I)No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, Lord;
I said, “You are (J)my refuge,
My (K)portion in the (L)land of the living.
6 (M)Give Your attention to my cry,
For I have been (N)brought very low;
Rescue me from my persecutors,
For they are too (O)strong for me.
7 (P)Bring my soul out of prison,
So that I may give thanks to Your name;
The righteous will surround me,
For You will (Q)look after me.”
17 Even if the (A)fig tree does not blossom,
And there is no [a]fruit on the vines,
If the yield of the (B)olive fails,
And the fields produce no food,
Even if the (C)flock disappears from the fold,
And there are (D)no cattle in the stalls,
18 Yet I will (E)triumph in the Lord,
I will (F)rejoice in the (G)God of my salvation.
19 The Lord [b]God is my (H)strength,
And (I)He has made my feet like deer’s feet,
And has me walk on my (J)high places.
For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
Parable of the Ten Minas
11 Now while they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because (A)He was near Jerusalem and they thought that (B)the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. 12 So He said, “(C)A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then to return. 13 And he called ten of his own slaves and gave them ten [a]minas, and said to them, ‘Do business with this money [b]until I come back.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be summoned to him so that he would learn how much they had made by the business they had done. 16 The first slave appeared, saying, ‘[c]Master, your [d]mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave; since you have been (D)faithful in a very little thing, you are to have authority over ten cities.’ 18 The second one came, saying, ‘Your [e]mina, [f]master, has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 And then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept tucked away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He *said to him, ‘[g]From your own lips I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 And so why did you not put my money in the bank, and when I came back, I would have collected it with interest?’ 24 And then he said to the other slaves who were present, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Master, he already has ten minas.’ 26 ‘(E)I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 27 But as for (F)these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and (G)slaughter them in my presence.’”
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