“So listen to the parable of the sower:

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says!

“Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense that I now make to you.”

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand.

After they stopped speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me.

So Paul stood up, gestured with his hand and said, “Men of Israel, and you Gentiles who fear God, listen:

“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.

“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know –

So he replied, “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?