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Psalm 40

1  I waited patiently for the Lord; ♦︎
   he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2  He brought me out of the roaring pit,
      out of the mire and clay; ♦︎
   he set my feet upon a rock and made my footing sure.
3  He has put a new song in my mouth,
      a song of praise to our God; ♦︎
   many shall see and fear
      and put their trust in the Lord.
4  Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, ♦︎
   who does not turn to the proud that follow a lie.
5  Great are the wonders you have done, O Lord my God.
      How great your designs for us! ♦︎
   There is none that can be compared with you.
6  If I were to proclaim them and tell of them ♦︎
   they would be more than I am able to express.
7  Sacrifice and offering you do not desire ♦︎
   but my ears you have opened;
8  Burnt offering and sacrifice for sin you have not required; ♦︎
   then said I: ‘Lo, I come.
9  ‘In the scroll of the book it is written of me
      that I should do your will, O my God; ♦︎
   I delight to do it: your law is within my heart.’
10  I have declared your righteousness in the great congregation; ♦︎
   behold, I did not restrain my lips,
      and that, O Lord, you know.
11  Your righteousness I have not hidden in my heart;
      I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; ♦︎
   I have not concealed your loving-kindness and truth
      from the great congregation.
12  Do not withhold your compassion from me, O Lord; ♦︎
   let your love and your faithfulness always preserve me,
13  For innumerable troubles have come about me;
      my sins have overtaken me so that I cannot look up; ♦︎
   they are more in number than the hairs of my head,
      and my heart fails me.
14  Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; ♦︎
   O Lord, make haste to help me.
15  Let them be ashamed and altogether dismayed
      who seek after my life to destroy it; ♦︎
   let them be driven back and put to shame
      who wish me evil.
16  Let those who heap insults upon me ♦︎
   be desolate because of their shame.
17  Let all who seek you rejoice in you and be glad; ♦︎
   let those who love your salvation say always,
      ‘The Lord is great.’
18  Though I am poor and needy, ♦︎
   the Lord cares for me.
19  You are my helper and my deliverer; ♦︎
   O my God, make no delay.

⁸ For Jerusalem has stumbled
   and Judah has fallen,
because their speech and their deeds are against the Lord,
   defying his glorious presence.

⁹ The look on their faces bears witness against them;
   they proclaim their sin like Sodom,
   they do not hide it.
Woe to them!
   For they have brought evil on themselves.
¹⁰ Tell the innocent how fortunate they are,
   for they shall eat the fruit of their labours.
¹¹ Woe to the guilty! How unfortunate they are,
   for what their hands have done shall be done to them.
¹² My people—children are their oppressors,
   and women rule over them.
O my people, your leaders mislead you,
   and confuse the course of your paths.

¹³ The Lord rises to argue his case;
   he stands to judge the peoples.
¹⁴ The Lord enters into judgement
   with the elders and princes of his people:
It is you who have devoured the vineyard;
   the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
¹⁵ What do you mean by crushing my people,
   by grinding the face of the poor? says the Lord God of hosts.

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

22Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ²‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. ³He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. ⁴Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” ⁵But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. ⁷The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. ⁸Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ⁹Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” ¹⁰Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 ‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, ¹²and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. ¹³Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.’