Romans 8:26-39

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. ²⁷ The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will. ²⁸ We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ We know this because God knew them in advance, and he decided in advance that they would be conformed to the image of his Son. That way his Son would be the first of many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ Those who God decided in advance would be conformed to his Son, he also called. Those whom he called, he also made righteous. Those whom he made righteous, he also glorified.
³¹ So what are we going to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Won’t he also freely give us all things with him?
³³ Who will bring a charge against God’s elect people? It is God who acquits them. ³⁴ Who is going to convict them? It is Christ Jesus who died, even more, who was raised, and who also is at God’s right side. It is Christ Jesus who also pleads our case for us.
³⁵ Who will separate us from Christ’s love? Will we be separated by trouble, or distress, or harassment, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

We are being put to death all day long for your sake.
    We are treated like sheep for slaughter.^[a]

³⁷ But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us. ³⁸ I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers ³⁹ or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.

1. Romans 8:36 Ps 44:22

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 105: 1-11, 45b

Psalm 105

105 Give thanks to the Lord;
    call upon his name;
    make his deeds known to all people!
² Sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord;
    dwell on all his wondrous works!
³ Give praise to God’s holy name!
    Let the hearts rejoice of all those seeking the Lord!
⁴ Pursue the Lord and his strength;
    seek his face always!
⁵ Remember the wondrous works he has done,
    all his marvelous works, and the justice he declared—
⁶     you who are the offspring of Abraham, his servant,
        and the children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

⁷ The Lord—he is our God.
    His justice is everywhere throughout the whole world.
⁸ God remembers his covenant forever,
    the word he commanded to a thousand generations,
⁹         which he made with Abraham,
        the solemn pledge he swore to Isaac.
¹⁰ God set it up as binding law for Jacob,
    as an eternal covenant for Israel,
¹¹     promising, “I hereby give you the land of Canaan
    as your allotted inheritance.”

Psalm 105:45 Common English Bible (CEB)

⁴⁵         all so that they would keep his laws
        and observe his instructions.

Praise the Lord!

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Matthew 14:13-21

Feeding the five thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard about John, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. When the crowds learned this, they followed him on foot from the cities. ¹⁴ When Jesus arrived and saw a large crowd, he had compassion for them and healed those who were sick. ¹⁵ That evening his disciples came and said to him, “This is an isolated place and it’s getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
¹⁶ But Jesus said to them, “There’s no need to send them away. You give them something to eat.”
¹⁷ They replied, “We have nothing here except five loaves of bread and two fish.”
¹⁸ He said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹ He ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves of bread and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them and broke the loaves apart and gave them to his disciples. Then the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰ Everyone ate until they were full, and they filled twelve baskets with the leftovers. ²¹ About five thousand men plus women and children had eaten.

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Luke 14:25-35

Discipleship’s demands

²⁵ Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. Turning to them, he said, ²⁶ “Whoever comes to me and doesn’t hate father and mother, spouse and children, and brothers and sisters—yes, even one’s own life—cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever doesn’t carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
²⁸ “If one of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first sit down and calculate the cost, to determine whether you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when you have laid the foundation but couldn’t finish the tower, all who see it will begin to belittle you. ³⁰ They will say, ‘Here’s the person who began construction and couldn’t complete it!’ ³¹ Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand soldiers could go up against the twenty thousand coming against him? ³² And if he didn’t think he could win, he would send a representative to discuss terms of peace while his enemy was still a long way off. ³³ In the same way, none of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple.
³⁴ “Salt is good. But if salt loses its flavor, how will it become salty again? ³⁵  It has no value, neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. People throw it away. Whoever has ears to hear should pay attention.”

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permission
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Mark 4:1-20

Parable of the soils

4 Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore. ² He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said, ³ “Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed. ⁴  As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it. ⁵  Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶  When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots. ⁷  Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. ⁸  Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one.” ⁹ He said, “Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”

Jesus explains his parable

¹⁰ When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He said to them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables. ¹² This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven.
¹³ “Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴  The farmer scatters the word. ¹⁵  This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path: When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them. ¹⁶  Here’s the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground: When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully. ¹⁷  Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. ¹⁸  Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word; ¹⁹  but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. ²⁰  The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one.”

Common English Bible (CEB), used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Mark 4: 1-20

Parable of the soils

4 Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore. ² He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said, ³ “Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed. ⁴  As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it. ⁵  Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶  When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots. ⁷  Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. ⁸  Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one.” ⁹ He said, “Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”

Jesus explains his parable

¹⁰ When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He said to them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables. ¹² This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven.
¹³ “Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴  The farmer scatters the word. ¹⁵  This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path: When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them. ¹⁶  Here’s the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground: When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully. ¹⁷  Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. ¹⁸  Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word; ¹⁹  but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. ²⁰  The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one.”

Parables about lamps and measures

²¹ Jesus said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp in order to put it under a basket or a bed? Shouldn’t it be placed on a lampstand? ²²  Everything hidden will be revealed, and everything secret will come out into the open. ²³  Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”
²⁴ He said to them, “Listen carefully! God will evaluate you with the same standard you use to evaluate others. Indeed, you will receive even more. ²⁵  Those who have will receive more, but as for those who don’t have, even what they don’t have will be taken away from them.”

More parables about God’s kingdom

²⁶ Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground, ²⁷  then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how. ²⁸  The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. ²⁹  Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvesttime.”
³⁰ He continued, “What’s a good image for God’s kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it? ³¹  Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; ³²  but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade.”
³³ With many such parables he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear. ³⁴ He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them.

Jesus stops a storm

³⁵ Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” ³⁶ They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.
³⁷ Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. ³⁸ But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”
³⁹ He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”
⁴¹ Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 139: 1-12

Psalm 139

For the music leader. Of David. A song.

139 Lord, you have examined me.
    You know me.
² You know when I sit down and when I stand up.
    Even from far away, you comprehend my plans.
³ You study my traveling and resting.
    You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways.
⁴ There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord,
    that you don’t already know completely.
⁵ You surround me—front and back.
    You put your hand on me.
⁶ That kind of knowledge is too much for me;
    it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it.

⁷ Where could I go to get away from your spirit?
    Where could I go to escape your presence?
⁸ If I went up to heaven, you would be there.
    If I went down to the grave,^[a] you would be there too!
⁹ If I could fly on the wings of dawn,
    stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean—
¹⁰         even there your hand would guide me;
        even there your strong hand would hold me tight!
¹¹ If I said, “The darkness will definitely hide me;
        the light will become night around me,”
¹²     even then the darkness isn’t too dark for you!
        Nighttime would shine bright as day,
        because darkness is the same as light to you!

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 139:8 Heb Sheol

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Genesis 28: 10-19a

Jacob’s dream at Bethel

¹⁰ Jacob left Beer-sheba and set out for Haran. ¹¹ He reached a certain place and spent the night there. When the sun had set, he took one of the stones at that place and put it near his head. Then he lay down there. ¹² He dreamed and saw a raised staircase, its foundation on earth and its top touching the sky, and God’s messengers were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ Suddenly the Lord was standing on it^[a] and saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴ Your descendants will become like the dust of the earth; you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. Every family of earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants. ¹⁵ I am with you now, I will protect you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done everything that I have promised you.”
¹⁶ When Jacob woke from his sleep, he thought to himself, The Lord is definitely in this place, but I didn’t know it. ¹⁷ He was terrified and thought, This sacred place is awesome. It’s none other than God’s house and the entrance to heaven. ¹⁸ After Jacob got up early in the morning, he took the stone that he had put near his head, set it up as a sacred pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. ¹⁹ He named that sacred place Bethel,^[b] though Luz was the city’s original name.

Footnotes:

1. Genesis 28:13 Or beside it or beside him
2. Genesis 28:19 Or God’s house

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Mark 4: 1-20

Parable of the soils

4 Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore. ² He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said, ³ “Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed. ⁴  As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it. ⁵  Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶  When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots. ⁷  Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. ⁸  Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one.” ⁹ He said, “Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”

Jesus explains his parable

¹⁰ When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He said to them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables. ¹² This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven.
¹³ “Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴  The farmer scatters the word. ¹⁵  This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path: When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them. ¹⁶  Here’s the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground: When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully. ¹⁷  Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. ¹⁸  Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word; ¹⁹  but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. ²⁰  The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one.”

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Luke 12: 13-21

Warning against greed

¹³ Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
¹⁴ Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed me as judge or referee between you and your brother?”
¹⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable: “A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. ¹⁷  He said to himself, What will I do? I have no place to store my harvest! ¹⁸  Then he thought, Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. That’s where I’ll store all my grain and goods. ¹⁹  I’ll say to myself, You have stored up plenty of goods, enough for several years. Take it easy! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. ²⁰  But God said to him, ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ ²¹  This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God.”

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Luke 12: 13-21

Warning against greed

¹³ Someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
¹⁴ Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed me as judge or referee between you and your brother?”
¹⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourself against all kinds of greed. After all, one’s life isn’t determined by one’s possessions, even when someone is very wealthy.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable: “A certain rich man’s land produced a bountiful crop. ¹⁷  He said to himself, What will I do? I have no place to store my harvest! ¹⁸  Then he thought, Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. That’s where I’ll store all my grain and goods. ¹⁹  I’ll say to myself, You have stored up plenty of goods, enough for several years. Take it easy! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself. ²⁰  But God said to him, ‘Fool, tonight you will die. Now who will get the things you have prepared for yourself?’ ²¹  This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God.”

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43

Parable of the weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like someone who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ While people were sleeping, an enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ When the stalks sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
²⁷ “The servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Master, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Then how is it that it has weeds?’
²⁸ “‘An enemy has done this,’ he answered.
“The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’
²⁹ “But the landowner said, ‘No, because if you gather the weeds, you’ll pull up the wheat along with them. ³⁰  Let both grow side by side until the harvest. And at harvesttime I’ll say to the harvesters, “First gather the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned. But bring the wheat into my barn.” ’”

Matthew 13:36-43

Explanation of the parable of the weeds

³⁶ Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
³⁷ Jesus replied, “The one who plants the good seed is the Human One.^{[a] 38}  The field is the world. And the good seeds are the followers of the kingdom. But the weeds are the followers of the evil one. ³⁹  The enemy who planted them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the present age. The harvesters are the angels. ⁴⁰  Just as people gather weeds and burn them in the fire, so it will be at the end of the present age. ⁴¹  The Human One^[b] will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that cause people to fall away and all people who sin. ⁴²  He will throw them into a burning furnace. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth. ⁴³  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Those who have ears should hear.”

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 13:37 Or Son of Man
2. Matthew 13:41 Or Son of Man

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23

Setting for the parables

13 That day Jesus went out of the house and sat down beside the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he climbed into a boat and sat down. The whole crowd was standing on the shore.

Parable of the soils

³ He said many things to them in parables: “A farmer went out to scatter seed. ⁴  As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate it. ⁵  Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶  But when the sun came up, it scorched the plants, and they dried up because they had no roots. ⁷  Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked them. ⁸  Other seed fell on good soil and bore fruit, in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one. ⁹  Everyone who has ears should pay attention.”

Explanation of the parable of the farmer

¹⁸ “Consider then the parable of the farmer. ¹⁹  Whenever people hear the word about the kingdom and don’t understand it, the evil one comes and carries off what was planted in their hearts. This is the seed that was sown on the path. ²⁰  As for the seed that was spread on rocky ground, this refers to people who hear the word and immediately receive it joyfully. ²¹  Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. ²²  As for the seed that was spread among thorny plants, this refers to those who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth choke the word, and it bears no fruit. ²³  As for what was planted on good soil, this refers to those who hear and understand, and bear fruit and produce—in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one.”

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Romans 8: 12-25

¹² So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it isn’t an obligation to ourselves to live our lives on the basis of selfishness. ¹³ If you live on the basis of selfishness, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. ¹⁵ You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.

Our suffering and our hope

¹⁸ I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. ¹⁹ The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters. ²⁰ Creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice—it was the choice of the one who subjected it—but in the hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children. ²² We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until now. ²³ And it’s not only the creation. We ourselves who have the Spirit as the first crop of the harvest also groan inside as we wait to be adopted and for our bodies to be set free. ²⁴ We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Romans 8: 1-11

Set free by the Spirit

8 So now there isn’t any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ God has done what was impossible for the Law, since it was weak because of selfishness. God condemned sin in the body by sending his own Son to deal with sin in the same body as humans, who are controlled by sin. ⁴ He did this so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us. Now the way we live is based on the Spirit, not based on selfishness. ⁵ People whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the Spirit. ⁶ The attitude that comes from selfishness leads to death, but the attitude that comes from the Spirit leads to life and peace. ⁷ So the attitude that comes from selfishness is hostile to God. It doesn’t submit to God’s Law, because it can’t. ⁸ People who are self-centered aren’t able to please God.

⁹ But you aren’t self-centered. Instead you are in the Spirit, if in fact God’s Spirit lives in you. If anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, they don’t belong to him. ¹⁰ If Christ is in you, the Spirit is your life because of God’s righteousness, but the body is dead because of sin. ¹¹ If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your human bodies also, through his Spirit that lives in you.

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 13

Psalm 13

For the music leader. A song of David.

13 How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
² How long will I be left to my own wits,
    agony filling my heart? Daily?
How long will my enemy keep defeating me?

³ Look at me!
    Answer me, Lord my God!
Restore sight to my eyes!
    Otherwise, I’ll sleep the sleep of death,
⁴         and my enemy will say, “I won!”
        My foes will rejoice over my downfall.

⁵ But I have trusted in your faithful love.
    My heart will rejoice in your salvation.
⁶ Yes, I will sing to the Lord
    because he has been good to me.

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Matthew 18:21-35

Parable of the unforgiving servant

²¹ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?”
²² Jesus said, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times.^{[a] 23} Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold.^{[b] 25} Because the servant didn’t have enough to pay it back, the master ordered that he should be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the proceeds should be used as payment. ²⁶ But the servant fell down, kneeled before him, and said, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ²⁷ The master had compassion on that servant, released him, and forgave the loan.
²⁸ “When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred coins.^[c] He grabbed him around the throat and said, ‘Pay me back what you owe me.’
²⁹ “Then his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he threw him into prison until he paid back his debt.
³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what happened, they were deeply offended. They came and told their master all that happened. ³² His master called the first servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. ³³ Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ His master was furious and handed him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners, until he had paid the whole debt.
³⁵ “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if you don’t forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 18:22 Or seventy times seven
2. Matthew 18:24 Or ten thousand talanta, an amount equal to the wages for sixty million days
3. Matthew 18:28 Or one hundred denaria, an amount equal to the wages for one hundred days

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30

Matthew 11:16-19

This generation

¹⁶ “To what will I compare this generation? It is like a child sitting in the marketplaces calling out to others, ¹⁷  ‘We played the flute for you and you didn’t dance. We sang a funeral song and you didn’t mourn.’ ¹⁸  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹  Yet the Human One^[a] came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved to be right by her works.”

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 11:19 Or Son of Man

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Matthew 11:25-30

The Father and the Son

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you’ve hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have shown them to babies. ²⁶ Indeed, Father, this brings you happiness.
²⁷ “My Father has handed all things over to me. No one knows the Son except the Father. And nobody knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wants to reveal him.
²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ²⁹  Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. ³⁰  My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

B

Romans 7: 15-25a

Romans 7:15-25

¹⁵ I don’t know what I’m doing, because I don’t do what I want to do. Instead, I do the thing that I hate. ¹⁶ But if I’m doing the thing that I don’t want to do, I’m agreeing that the Law is right. ¹⁷ But now I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it’s sin that lives in me. ¹⁸ I know that good doesn’t live in me—that is, in my body. The desire to do good is inside of me, but I can’t do it. ¹⁹ I don’t do the good that I want to do, but I do the evil that I don’t want to do. ²⁰ But if I do the very thing that I don’t want to do, then I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it is sin that lives in me that is doing it.
²¹ So I find that, as a rule, when I want to do what is good, evil is right there with me. ²² I gladly agree with the Law on the inside, ²³ but I see a different law at work in my body. It wages a war against the law of my mind and takes me prisoner with the law of sin that is in my body. ²⁴ I’m a miserable human being. Who will deliver me from this dead corpse? ²⁵ Thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I’m a slave to God’s Law in my mind, but I’m a slave to sin’s law in my body.

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible

Psalm 45 

Psalm 45

For the music leader. According to “The Lilies.” Of the Korahites. A maskil.^[a] A love song.

45 A marvelous word has stirred my heart
    as I mention my works to the king.
        My tongue is the pen of a skillful scribe.

² You are the most handsome of men;
    grace has been poured out on your lips.
        No wonder God has blessed you forever!
³ Strap on your sword, great warrior,
    with your glory and grandeur.
⁴ Go and succeed in your grandeur!
    Ride out on behalf of truth, humility, and righteousness!
    Let your strong hand perform awesome deeds.^[b]
5 Let the peoples fall beneath you.
    May your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies.
⁶ Your divine throne is eternal and everlasting.
    Your royal scepter is a scepter of justice.
⁷ You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
    No wonder God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of joy more than all your companions!
⁸ All your clothes have the pleasing scent of myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
    The music of stringed instruments coming from ivory palaces entertains you.
⁹ The royal princess is standing in your precious jewels; ^[c]
    the queen stands at your right, dressed in the gold of Ophir.

¹⁰ Listen, daughter; pay attention, and listen closely!
    Forget your people and your father’s house.
¹¹ Let the king desire your beauty.
    Because he is your master, bow down to him now.
¹² The city of Tyre, the wealthiest of all,
    will seek your favor with gifts, ¹³ with riches of every sort
    for the royal princess, dressed in pearls,^[d]
        her robe embroidered with gold.
¹⁴ In robes of many colors, she is led to the king.
    Her attendants, the young women servants following her,
    are presented to you as well.
¹⁵ As they enter the king’s palace,
    they are led in with celebration and joy.

¹⁶ Your sons, great king, will succeed your fathers;^[e]
    you will appoint them as princes throughout the land.
¹⁷ I will perpetuate your name from one generation to the next
    so the peoples will praise you forever and always.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 45:1 Perhaps instruction
2. Psalm 45:4 Heb uncertain
3. Psalm 45:9 Syr; MT royal princess is among your precious ones.
4. Psalm 45:13 Correction; Heb lacks for; Heb uncertain in 45:12-13
5. Psalm 45:16 Heb lacks great king.

Common English Bible (CEB) used with permissionCopyright © 2011 by Common English Bible