Sirach 45:6-16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Aaron
6 He exalted Aaron, a holy man like Moses,[a]
who was his brother, of the tribe of Levi.(A)
7 He made an everlasting covenant with him
and gave him the priesthood of the people.
He blessed him with stateliness
and put a glorious robe on him.(B)
8 He clothed him in perfect splendor[b]
and strengthened him with the apparel of authority,
the linen undergarments, the long robe, and the ephod.(C)
9 And he encircled him with pomegranates,
with many golden bells all around,
to send forth a sound as he walked,
to make their ringing heard in the temple
as a reminder to his people;(D)
10 with the sacred vestment, of gold and violet
and purple, the work of an embroiderer;
with the oracle of judgment, the manifestations of truth;(E)
11 with twisted crimson, the work of an artisan;
with precious stones engraved like seals,
in a setting of gold, the work of a jeweler,
to commemorate in engraved letters
each of the tribes of Israel;(F)
12 with a gold crown upon his turban,
inscribed like a holy seal,
majestic and glorious, a work of power,
a delight to the eyes, richly adorned.(G)
13 Before him such beautiful things did not exist.
No outsider ever put them on,
but only his sons
and his descendants in perpetuity.(H)
14 His sacrifices shall be wholly burned
twice every day continually.(I)
15 Moses ordained him
and anointed him with holy oil;
it was an everlasting covenant for him
and for his descendants as long as the heavens endure,
to minister to the Lord[c] and serve as priest
and bless his people in his name.(J)
16 He chose him out of all the living
to offer sacrifice to the Lord,
incense and a pleasing odor as a memorial,
to make atonement for the[d] people.(K)
Luke 19:41-48
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41 As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it,(A) 42 saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 Indeed, the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you and hem you in on every side.(B) 44 They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”[a](C)
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
45 Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things[b] there, 46 and he said, “It is written,
‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’
but you have made it a den of robbers.”(D)
47 Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him,(E) 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.
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Psalm 73
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Book III
(Psalms 73–89)
Psalm 73
Plea for Relief from Oppressors
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.(A)
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had nearly slipped.(B)
3 For I was envious of the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(C)
4 For they have no pain;
their bodies are sound and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not plagued like other people.(D)
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
violence covers them like a garment.(E)
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.(F)
8 They scoff and speak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.(G)
9 They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues range over the earth.
10 Therefore the people turn and praise them[a]
and find no fault in them.[b]
11 And they say, “How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”(H)
12 Such are the wicked;
always at ease, they increase in riches.(I)
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.(J)
14 For all day long I have been plagued
and am punished every morning.(K)
15 If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,”
I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,(L)
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I perceived their end.(M)
18 Truly you set them in slippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.(N)
19 How they are destroyed in a moment,
swept away utterly by terrors!(O)
20 They are[c] like a dream when one awakes;
on awaking you despise their phantoms.(P)
21 When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was stupid and ignorant;
I was like a brute beast toward you.(Q)
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me with honor.[d](R)
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.(S)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength[e] of my heart and my portion forever.(T)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.