Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 43

Profane Offerings

⁶ A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My fear? says the Lord of Hosts to you, O priests, who despise My name.

But you say, “How have we despised Your name?”

⁷ You offer defiled food on My altar, but say, “How have we defiled You?”

By saying, “The table of the Lord is contemptible.” ⁸ When you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? When you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now to your governor! Would he be pleased with you, or accept you? says the Lord of Hosts.

⁹ But now entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will He accept you favorably? says the Lord of Hosts.

¹⁰ Who is there among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of Hosts, nor will I accept an offering from your hand. ¹¹ For from the rising of the sun to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to My name, and a pure offering. For My name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of Hosts.

¹² But you profane it, in that you say, “The table of the Lord is defiled, and its fruit, that is, its food is contemptible.” ¹³ You also say, “What a weariness it is,” and you snort at it, says the Lord of Hosts.

You bring in what is stolen, the lame, or the sick; thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand? says the Lord. ¹⁴ But cursed be the deceiver who has in his flock a male, and vows, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great king, says the Lord of Hosts, and My name is to be feared among the nations.

Divine Warnings to the Priests

2 And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. ² If you will not listen, and if you will not take it to heart to give honor to My name, says the Lord of Hosts, I will send a curse on you and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have cursed them already, because you do not take it to heart.

³ I rebuke your descendants, and spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your solemn feasts, and you will be taken away with it. ⁴ And you will know that I have sent this command to you, that My covenant with Levi may remain, says the Lord of Hosts. ⁵ My covenant with him was for life and peace, and I gave them to him. With awe he feared Me, and he was reverent before My name. ⁶ True instruction was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and with uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity.

⁷ For a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. ⁸ But you have departed from the way. You have caused many to stumble at the law. You have violated the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of Hosts. ⁹ So I have made you contemptible and base before all the people, because you have not kept My ways, but have shown partiality in the law.

¹³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven against men. For you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who are entering to go in. ¹⁴ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and for pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive the greater condemnation.

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing. But if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is obligated.’ ¹⁹ You blind fools! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? ²⁰ Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. ²¹ But he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. ²² And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You tithe mint and dill and cumin, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. ²⁴ You blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and greed. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may also be clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.