Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord Exalts the Humble.

¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has become ^(A)dross to Me; all of them are ^(B)bronze and tin and iron and lead in the ^(C)furnace; they are the dross of silver. ¹⁹ Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because all of you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the ^(D)furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath and I will lay you there and melt you. ²¹ I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. ²² As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the Lord, have ^(E)poured out My wrath on you.’”

²³ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that is ^(F)not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ ²⁵ There is a ^(G)conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have ^(H)devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many ^(I)widows in the midst of her. ²⁶ Her ^(J)priests have done violence to My law and have ^(K)profaned My holy things; they have made no ^(L)distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the ^(M)unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. ²⁷ Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and ^(N)destroying lives in order to get ^(O)dishonest gain. ²⁸ Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing ^(P)false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have practiced ^(Q)oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have ^(R)oppressed the sojourner without justice. ³⁰ I ^(S)searched for a man among them who would ^(T)build up the wall and ^(U)stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found ^[a]no one. ³¹ Thus I have poured out My ^(V)indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; ^(W)their way I have brought upon their heads,” declares the Lord God.

^31 (A)What then shall we say to these things? ^(B)If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who ^(C)did not spare His own Son, but ^(D)delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring a charge against ^(E)God’s elect? ^(F)God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who ^(G)condemns? Christ Jesus is He who ^(H)died, yes, rather who was ^[a](I)raised, who is ^(J)at the right hand of God, who also ^(K)intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from ^(L)the love of ^[b]Christ? Will ^(M)tribulation, or distress, or ^(N)persecution, or ^(O)famine, or ^(P)nakedness, or ^(Q)peril, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written,

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly ^(S)conquer through ^(T)Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither ^(U)death, nor life, nor ^(V)angels, nor principalities, nor ^(W)things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from ^(X)the love of God, which is ^(Y)in Christ Jesus our Lord.