The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation

Of David.

The Advance of the Gospel

¹² I want you to know, brothers,^[a] that what has happened to me has really ^(A)served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard^[b] and ^(B)to all the rest that ^(C)my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold ^(D)to speak the word^[c] without fear.

¹⁹ for I know that ^(A)through your prayers and ^(B)the help of ^(C)the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope ^(D)that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full ^(E)courage now as always Christ ^(F)will be honored in my body, ^(G)whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me ^(H)to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ^23 (I)I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is ^(J)to depart and ^(K)be with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ^25 (L)Convinced of this, ^(M)I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your ^(N)progress and ^(O)joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me ^(P)you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

²⁷ Only ^(Q)let your manner of life be ^(R)worthy^[a] of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you ^(S)that you are standing firm in one spirit, with ^(T)one mind ^(U)striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is ^(V)a clear sign to them of their destruction, but ^(W)of your salvation, and that from God. ²⁹ For ^(X)it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also ^(Y)suffer for his sake, ³⁰ engaged in the same ^(Z)conflict that ^(AA)you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Laborers in the Vineyard

20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius^[a] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ ⁵ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. ⁶ And ^(A)about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ ⁸ And ^(B)when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his ^(C)foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ ⁹ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. ¹⁰ Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, ¹² saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and ^(D)the scorching heat.’ ¹³ But he replied to one of them, ^(E)‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take ^(F)what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. ^15 (G)Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or ^(H)do you begrudge my generosity?’^{[b] 16} So ^(I)the last will be first, and the first last.”