Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 39[a]
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39 I decided,[b] “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.[c]
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil person.”[d]
2 I was stone silent;[e]
I held back the urge to speak.[f]
My frustration grew;[g]
3 my anxiety intensified.[h]
As I thought about it, I became impatient.[i]
Finally I spoke these words:[j]
4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life.[k]
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass.[l]
5 Look, you make my days short-lived,[m]
and my life span is nothing from your perspective.[n]
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.[o] (Selah)
6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.[p]
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”[q]
7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope![r]
8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion.
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults.
9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done.[s]
10 Please stop wounding me.[t]
You have almost beaten me to death.[u]
11 You severely discipline people for their sins;[v]
like a moth you slowly devour their strength.[w]
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord.
Listen to my cry for help.
Do not ignore my sobbing.[x]
For I am a resident foreigner with you,
a temporary settler,[y] just as all my ancestors were.
13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away.[z]
The Spies’ Instructions
17 When Moses sent[a] them to investigate the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up through the Negev,[b] and then go up into the hill country 18 and see[c] what the land is like,[d] and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, few or many, 19 and whether the land they live in is good or bad, and whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or fortified cities, 20 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether or not there are forests in it. And be brave,[e] and bring back some of the fruit of the land.” Now it was the time of year[f] for the first ripe grapes.[g]
The Spies’ Activities
21 So they went up and investigated the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob,[h] at Lebo Hamath. 22 When they went up through the Negev, they[i] came[j] to Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai,[k] descendants of Anak, were living. (Now Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan[l] in Egypt.) 23 When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a staff[m] between two men, as well as some of the pomegranates and the figs. 24 That place was called[n] the Eshcol Valley,[o] because of the cluster[p] of grapes that the Israelites cut from there. 25 They returned from investigating the land after forty days.
The Spies’ Reports
26 They came back[q] to Moses and Aaron and to the whole community of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh.[r] They reported[s] to the whole community and showed the fruit of the land. 27 They told Moses,[t] “We went to the land where you sent us.[u] It is indeed flowing with milk and honey,[v] and this is its fruit.
On the Kingdom of God
18 Thus Jesus[a] asked,[b] “What is the kingdom of God[c] like?[d] To[e] what should I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed[f] that a man took and sowed[g] in his garden. It[h] grew and became a tree,[i] and the wild birds[j] nested in its branches.”[k]
20 Again[l] he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God?[m] 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with[n] three measures[o] of flour until all the dough had risen.”[p]
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