The Righteous Will Never Be Moved
iBlessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who jgreatly delights in his commandments!
2 His koffspring will be mighty in the land;
lthe generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 mWealth and riches are in his house,
and his nrighteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness ofor the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and prighteous.
5 It is well with the man who qdeals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will rnever be moved;
she will be remembered forever.
7 He is not tafraid of bad news;
his uheart is firm, vtrusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady;2 he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has wdistributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his xhorn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he ygnashes his teeth and zmelts away;
athe desire of the wicked will perish!
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord:
r“What wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
sand went after tworthlessness, and became worthless?
6 They did not say, u‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us vin the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that none passes through,
where no man dwells?’
7 wAnd I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, xyou defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
yThose who handle the law did not know me;
zthe shepherds1 transgressed against me;
athe prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after bthings that do not profit.
9 “Therefore cI still contend with you,
declares the Lord,
and dwith your children’s children I will contend.
10 For cross to the coasts of eCyprus and see,
or send to fKedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
11 gHas a nation changed its gods,
heven though they are no gods?
But my people ihave changed their glory
for bthat which does not profit.
12 Be appalled, jO heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
the fountain of mliving waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Healing of a Man on the Sabbath
1 One Sabbath, pwhen he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were qwatching him carefully.
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
7 Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed vhow they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, wso that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For xeveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The Parable of the Great Banquet
12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give ya dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers1 or your relatives or rich neighbors, zlest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, ainvite bthe poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid cat dthe resurrection of the just.”
Sacrifices Pleasing to God
1 Let ubrotherly love continue. 2 vDo not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby wsome have entertained angels unawares. 3 xRemember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 yLet marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge zthe sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life afree from love of money, and bbe content with what you have, for he has said, c“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,
d“The Lord is my helper;
eI will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
7 Remember fyour leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and gimitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is hthe same yesterday and today and forever.
15 sThrough him then let us continually offer up ta sacrifice of praise to God, that is, uthe fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and vto share what you have, for such wsacrifices are pleasing to God.
