Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 141
A song of David.
1 O Eternal One, I call upon You.
Come quickly!
Listen to my voice as I call upon You!
2 Consider my prayer as an offering of incense that rises before You;
when I stand with my hands outstretched pleading toward the heavens,
consider it as an evening offering.
3 Guard my mouth, O Eternal One;
control what I say.
Keep a careful watch on every word I speak.
4 Don’t allow my deepest desires to steer me toward doing what is wrong
or associating with wicked people
Or joining in their wicked works
or tasting any of their pleasures.
5 Let those who do right strike me down in kindness
and correct me in love.
Their kind correction washes over my head like pure oil;
do not let me be foolish and refuse such compassion.
Still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked:
6 Their judges will be thrown from the edges of cliffs and crushed upon the rocks below,
and the wicked will hear my words and realize that what I said was pleasing.
7 Just as when a farmer plows and breaks open the earth, leaving clumps of dirt scattered along the rows,
our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave.
8 My gaze is fixed upon You, Eternal One, my Lord;
in You I find safety and protection.
Do not abandon me and leave me defenseless.
9 Protect me from the jaws of the trap my enemies have set for me
and from the snares of those who work evil.
10 May the wicked be caught in their own nets
while I alone escape unharmed.
14 At this, the word of the Eternal came to me:
Eternal One: 15 Son of man, your people in exile—your own relatives, your countrymen, and the whole nation of Israel—are the ones the citizens of Jerusalem have disparaged, saying, “They have been taken far away from the Eternal. This land is ours now. It has been given to us to keep.” But they are mistaken. It is those in exile whom I will redeem. 16 Give the citizens of Jerusalem My message. “Tell them that I, the Eternal Lord, drove them far away from My temple and scattered them among other countries, but I have still been a sanctuary for them during this time in those other lands where they have gone.” 17 Then deliver My message to the exiles. “Tell them that I, the Eternal Lord, will gather you and reassemble you from the places where I scattered you, and I will return your inheritance—the land of Israel—to you because you are My true children.”
Ezekiel may seem like a prophet of doom and gloom, but like most prophets he sees beyond judgment to God’s restoration of His people. The only hope for the Judean exiles is that they be given a new heart and spirit from their Creator. The prophet receives this optimistic message again and again. Although divine punishment is severe, divine rescue will eclipse any tragedy because God will recreate His people.
Eternal One: 18 When they return home, they will demolish all the disgusting idols and remove all the shocking images from the land. 19 I will give them a new will—an undivided heart—and plant a new spirit within them; I will remove their cold, stony heart and replace it with a warm heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow My commands and uphold My laws and actually do as I say. They will be My people, and I will be their God. 21 As for those who remain dedicated to their disgusting idols and shocking images, the very things they have done will be brought down upon them as judgment.
So said the Eternal Lord.
22 Then the winged guardians[a] stretched out their wings, the wheels moved along with them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. 23 The glory of the Eternal arose from the center of the city and began to move east, stopping momentarily above the mountain to its east called the Mount of Olives. 24 The Spirit snatched me up and brought me in a vision given by God’s Spirit to the exiles in the Chaldea. Then the vision left me, 25 and I told the exiles everything the Eternal had revealed to me.
25 So put away your lies and speak the truth to one another because we are all part of one another. 26 When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.[a] Don’t let the sun set with anger in your heart or 27 give the devil room to work. 28 If you have been stealing, stop. Thieves must go to work like everyone else and work honestly with their hands so that they can share with anyone who has a need. 29 Don’t let even one rotten word seep out of your mouths. Instead, offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them. 30 It’s time to stop bringing grief to God’s Holy Spirit; you have been sealed with the Spirit, marked as His own for the day of rescue. 31 Banish bitterness, rage and anger, shouting and slander, and any and all malicious thoughts—these are poison. 32 Instead, be kind and compassionate. Graciously forgive one another just as God has forgiven you through the Anointed, our Liberating King.
We come to God as sinners; but He wants to transform our habits, attitudes, and practices into the ways of Jesus: to live, forgive, and love as He did.
5 So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children, 2 and live in love as the Anointed One loved you—so much that He gave Himself as a fragrant sacrifice, pleasing God.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.