Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Israel’s Corrupt Religion
10 Listen to the word of Yahweh, you rulers of Sodom!
Pay attention to the teachings from our Elohim, you people of Gomorrah!
11 Yahweh asks, “What do your many animal sacrifices mean to me?
I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings of rams
and enough fat from your fattened calves.
I’m not pleased with the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats.
12 When you appear in my presence,
who asked you to trample on my courtyards?
13 Don’t bring any more worthless grain offerings.
Your incense is disgusting to me,
so are your New Moon Festivals, your days of worship,
and the assemblies you call.
I can’t stand your evil assemblies.
14 I hate your New Moon Festivals and your appointed festivals.
They’ve become a burden to me,
and I’m tired of putting up with them.
15 So when you stretch out your hands in prayer,
I will turn my eyes away from you.
Even though you offer many prayers,
I will not listen because your hands are covered with blood.
The Lord Invites Israel to Turn Away from Sin
16 “Wash yourselves! Become clean!
Get your evil deeds out of my sight.
Stop doing evil.
17 Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Arrest oppressors.
Defend orphans.
Plead the case of widows.”
18 “Come on now, let’s discuss this!” says Yahweh.
“Though your sins are bright red,
they will become as white as snow.
Though they are dark red,
they will become as white as wool.
Psalm 32
A psalm by David; a maskil.[a]
1 Blessed is the person whose disobedience is forgiven
and whose sin is pardoned.
2 Blessed is the person whom Yahweh no longer accuses of sin
and who has no deceitful thoughts.
3 When I kept silent about my sins,
my bones began to weaken because of my groaning all day long.
4 Day and night your hand laid heavily on me.
My strength shriveled in the summer heat. Selah
5 I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt.
I decided to confess them to you, O Yahweh.
Then you forgave all my sins. Selah
6 For this reason let all godly people pray to you
when you may be found.
Then raging floodwater will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place.
You protect me from trouble.
You surround me with joyous songs of salvation. Selah
Greeting
1 From Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
To the church at Thessalonica united with God our Father and the Lord Yeshua Christ.
2 Good will[a] and peace from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua Christ are yours!
Paul’s Prayer for the Thessalonians
3 We always have to thank God for you, brothers and sisters. It’s right to do this because your faith is showing remarkable growth and your love for each other is increasing. 4 That’s why we brag in God’s churches about your endurance and faith in all the persecutions and suffering you are experiencing.
11 With this in mind, we always pray that our God will make you worthy of his call. We also pray that through his power he will help you accomplish every good desire and help you do everything your faith produces. 12 That way the name of our Lord Yeshua will be honored among you. Then, because of the good will of Yeshua Christ, our God and Lord, you will be honored by him.
Zacchaeus Meets Jesus
19 Yeshua was passing through Jericho. 2 A man named Zacchaeus was there. He was the director of tax collectors, and he was rich. 3 He tried to see who Yeshua was. But Zacchaeus was a small man, and he couldn’t see Yeshua because of the crowd. 4 So Zacchaeus ran ahead and climbed a fig tree to see Yeshua, who was coming that way.
5 When Yeshua came to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down! I must stay at your house today.”
6 Zacchaeus came down and was glad to welcome Yeshua into his home. 7 But the people who saw this began to express disapproval. They said, “He went to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 Later, at dinner, Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Lord, I’ll give half of my property to the poor. I’ll pay four times as much as I owe to those I have cheated in any way.”
9 Then Yeshua said to Zacchaeus, “You and your family have been saved today. You’ve shown that you, too, are one of Abraham’s descendants. 10 Indeed, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save people who are lost.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.