Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 43^[a]

Disobedience of the Priests

⁶ “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of me?^(A) says the Lord of Armies to you priests, who despise my name.”

Yet you ask, “How have we despised your name?”

⁷ “By presenting defiled food on my altar.”

“How have we defiled you?” you ask.^(B)

When you say, “The Lord’s table is contemptible.”^(C)

⁸ “When you present a blind animal for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present a lame or sick animal, is it not wrong?^(D) Bring it to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Armies. ⁹ “And now plead for God’s favor. Will he be gracious to us?^(E) Since this has come from your hands, will he show any of you favor?” ^(F) asks the Lord of Armies. ¹⁰ “I wish one of you would shut the temple doors,^(G) so that you would no longer kindle a useless fire on my altar!^(H) I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Armies, “and I will accept^(I) no offering from your hands.^(J)

¹¹ “My name will be great among the nations,^(K) from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense^[a] and pure offerings will be presented in my name in every place because my name will be great among the nations,”^[b] says the Lord of Armies.

¹² “But you are profaning it^(L) when you say, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible.’ ¹³ You also say, ‘Look, what a nuisance!’ And you scorn^[c] it,”^[d](M) says the Lord of Armies. “You bring stolen,^[e](N) lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?” asks the Lord.

¹⁴ “The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord.^(O) For I am a great King,” says the Lord of Armies, “and my name will be feared among the nations.

Warning to the Priests

2 “Therefore, this decree^(P) is for you priests: ² If you don’t listen, and if you don’t take it to heart^(Q) to honor my name,” says the Lord of Armies, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings.^(R) In fact, I have already begun to curse them because you are not taking it to heart.

³ “Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants,^(S) and I will spread animal waste^[f] over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices,^(T) and you will be taken away with it. ⁴ Then you will know that I sent you this decree, so that my covenant with Levi^(U) may continue,” says the Lord of Armies. ⁵ “My covenant with him was one of life and peace,^(V) and I gave these to him; it called for reverence, and he revered me and stood in awe of my name.^{(W) 6} True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me^(X) in peace and integrity and turned many from iniquity.^{(Y) 7} For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should desire instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Armies.^(Z)

⁸ “You, on the other hand, have turned from the way.^(AA) You have caused many to stumble^(AB) by your instruction. You have violated^[g] the covenant of Levi,” says the Lord of Armies. ⁹ “So I in turn have made you despised^(AC) and humiliated before all the people because you are not keeping my ways but are showing partiality in your instruction.”^(AD)

¹³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in.^[a](A)

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one convert,^(B) and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are!

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides,^(C) who say, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the temple, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath^(D) by the gold of the temple is bound by his oath.’^{[b] 17} Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? ¹⁸ Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ Blind people!^[c] For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?^{(E) 20} Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. ²¹ The one who takes an oath by the temple takes an oath by it and by him who dwells^(F) in it. ²² And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God’s throne^(G) and by him who sits on it.^(H)

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of^[d] mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice,^(I) mercy, and faithfulness.^[e] These things should have been done without neglecting the others. ²⁴ Blind guides!^(J) You strain out a gnat, but gulp down a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed^[f] and self-indulgence.^{(K) 26} Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,^[g] so that the outside of it^[h] may also become clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,^(L) which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of impurity. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.