Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Chapter 65
Punishment of the Idolaters
1 I was eager to respond
to those who did not consult me.
I was anxious to be approached
by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am! Here I am!”
to a nation that did not summon me.
2 Throughout each day I held out my hands
and appealed to a rebellious people
who walk along evil paths
in pursuit of their own desires.
3 [a]These people provoke me to anger
continually, to my face,
offering sacrifices in gardens
and burning incense on bricks.
4 They live in the midst of tombs
and spend the night in secret places,
eating the flesh of pigs
and filling their plates with unclean food,
5 as they cry out, “Keep away!
Do not touch me,
for I am too sacred for you.”
Such people to me are like choking smoke,
a fire that smolders throughout the day.
6 Their deeds have been inscribed in my memory;
I will not remain silent until I have repaid in full
7 your iniquities and those of your ancestors,
says the Lord.
Since they burned incense on the mountains
and shamed me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
the full payment that their deeds deserve.
Fate of Israel’s Righteous and Unfaithful
8 Thus says the Lord:
As in the harvest of grapes
juice is often still found in the cluster,
and people say, “Do not discard them,
for some good still remains in them,”
so I will act for the sake of my servants
and not destroy them all.
9 From Jacob I will bring forth descendants,
and from Judah those who will inherit my mountains.
My chosen ones will take possession of the land,
and my servants will settle there.
19 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.[a]
20 [b]But you, O Lord, do not remain aloof from me.
O my Strength, come quickly to my aid.
21 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the grasp of the dogs.
22 Save me[c] from the lion’s mouth
and from the horns of wild oxen.
23 [d]I will proclaim your name to my family;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:[e]
24 “You who fear the Lord, praise him.
All you descendants of Jacob,[f] give him glory.
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel.
25 For he has not scorned or disregarded
the wretched man in his suffering;
he has not hidden his face[g] from him
but has heeded his call for help.”
26 I will offer my praise to you in the great assembly;
in the presence of those who fear him, I will fulfill my vows.[h]
27 [i]The poor[j] will eat and be filled;
those who seek the Lord will praise him:
“May your hearts live forever.”
28 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will bow low before him.
23 The Benefit of Faith.[a]Now before faith came, we were prisoners of the Law, confined as we waited for the faith that would eventually be revealed. 24 Therefore, the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 However, now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 Children of God in Christ. Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free man, there is no longer male or female. For all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are the offspring of Abraham and heirs according to the promise.
26 Jesus Casts Out a Legion of Demons.[a] Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 As he stepped ashore, he was approached by a man from the town who was possessed by demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes. Moreover, he did not live in a house but among the tombs.
28 When the man caught sight of Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you, do not torment me!” 29 For he had ordered the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times in the past it had seized him, and on such occasions they used to restrain him with chains and shackles, but he would manage to break loose and be driven by the demon into the wilds.
30 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
32 Now on the mountainside a large herd of pigs was feeding, and they pleaded with him to let them go into the pigs. He allowed this. 33 The demons then came out of the man and entered the pigs. Thereupon the herd charged down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
34 When those tending the herd saw what had occurred, they ran off and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. 35 As a result, people came out to see what had happened. When they came near Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and in his right mind, and they were frightened.
36 Those who had been eye-witnesses to the incident told how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and went away.
38 The man from whom the demons had gone out pleaded that he be allowed to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home and give witness to what God has done for you.” He then departed, proclaiming throughout the town what Jesus had done for him.
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