Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God Decides Right from Wrong
50 The Powerful One, God, the Lord, has spoken. And He calls the earth from where the sun rises to where the sun goes down. 2 God shines from Zion, perfect in beauty. 3 May our God come and not keep quiet. A fire burns before Him, and around Him is a powerful storm. 4 He calls the heavens above, and the earth, that He may judge His people: 5 “Gather My holy ones to Me, those who have made an agreement with Me by their gifts given on an altar.” 6 And the heavens will tell how right and good He is, for God Himself is judge.
7 “Listen, O My people, and I will speak. O Israel, I will speak against you. I am God, your God. 8 I do not speak sharp words to you for your gifts given on an altar. And your burnt gifts are always before Me. 9 I will not take a young bull out of your house, or male goats out of your fields. 10 For every animal among the trees is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird of the mountains. And all things that move in the field are Mine. 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you. For the world is Mine, and all that is in it. 13 Should I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of male goats? 14 Give a gift of thanks on the altar to God. And pay your promises to the Most High. 15 Call on Me in the day of trouble. I will take you out of trouble, and you will honor Me.”
16 But to the sinful, God says: “What right do you have to tell of My Laws, and take My agreement in your mouth? 17 For you hate to be told what to do, and you throw My words behind you. 18 When you see a robber, you are pleased with him. And you join those who do sex sins. 19 You say bad things with your mouth, and you lie with your tongue. 20 You sit and speak against your brother. You talk against your own mother’s son. 21 You have done these things, and I have kept quiet. You thought that I was just like you. But I will speak sharp words to you, and tell you who is guilty to your face.
22 “Now think about this, you who forget God, or I will tear you in pieces and there will be no one to save you. 23 He who gives a gift of thanks honors Me. And to him who makes his way right, I will show him the saving power of God.”
12 For I know that you have done much wrong and your sins are many. You make trouble for those who are right and good, and you take pay in secret for wrong-doing. You will not be fair to the poor. 13 The wise man keeps quiet at such a time, for it is a sinful time.
14 Look for good and not sin, that you may live. Then the Lord God of All will be with you, just as you have said. 15 Hate sin, and love good. And let what is fair be done at the gate. It may be that the Lord God of All will show kindness to those left of Joseph.
The Day of the Lord
16 So the Lord, the Lord God of All, says, “There is a loud crying in the city. In all the streets they say, ‘It is bad! It is bad!’ They call the farmers to cry in sorrow. They call those whose work is to cry over the dead to sing songs of sorrow. 17 And there are cries of sorrow in all the grape-fields, because I will pass among you,” says the Lord.
18 It is bad for you who want the day of the Lord to come. For what will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light. 19 It will be as when a man runs away from a lion and is met by a bear. It will be as when a man goes home and rests with his hand against the wall, and gets bitten by a snake. 20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness instead of light, very dark with nothing bright in it?
21 “I hate your special suppers. I will have nothing to do with them. And I am not pleased with your religious meetings. 22 Even if you give Me burnt gifts and grain gifts in worship, I will not receive them. I will not even look at the peace gifts of your fat animals. 23 Take the noise of your songs away from Me. I will not listen to the sound of your harps. 24 But let what is fair roll down like waters. Let what is right and good flow forever like a river.
The Picture-Story of the Ten Servants and the Money
11 As they heard these things, Jesus told them a picture-story. Because He was near Jerusalem, they thought the holy nation of God would come at once. 12 So Jesus said, “A leader of a country went to another country far away. A nation was to be given to him, then he would return home. 13 He called ten of the servants he owned. He gave them ten pieces of money and said to them, ‘Put this money to use until I return.’ 14 But other men in his country hated him. They sent men after him to tell him they did not want him as their king. 15 After he had been given the other nation, he returned as king. He asked for his servants who had received the money to come to him. He wanted to know how much more they had after putting it to use. 16 The first one came and said, ‘Lord, the piece of money you gave me has made ten more pieces of money.’ 17 He said to him, ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful in using a little. Now you will be leader over ten cities.’
18 “The second man came to him and said, ‘Lord, the piece of money you gave me has made five more pieces of money.’ 19 He said to him, ‘You are to be leader over five cities.’
20 “Another one came saying, ‘Lord, look! Here is your piece of money. I have kept it hid in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You take what you have not put down. You gather where you have not planted.’ 22 The king said to him, ‘By the words from your own mouth I must say that you are guilty. You are a sinful servant. You knew I was a hard man. You knew I take what I have not put down. You knew I gather where I have not planted. 23 Why did you not put my money in the bank? Then when I came back I could have had my own money and what the bank paid for using it.’
24 “Then he said to those who were standing by, ‘Take the piece of money from him and give it to the one who has ten pieces of money.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he already has ten pieces of money.’”
26 Jesus said, “I tell you, he who has, to him will be given more. To him who does not have, even the little he has will be taken from him. 27 ‘Bring here those who hated me and did not want me to be their king and kill them in front of me.’”
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