Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁸ Woe to you who desire the Day of the LORD! What have you to do with it? The Day of the LORD is darkness and not light.

¹⁹ As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him.

²⁰ Shall not the Day of the LORD be darkness, and not light; even darkness and no light in it?

²¹ “I hate and abhor your feast days. And I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

²² “Though you offer Me burnt offerings and meat offerings, I will not accept them. Nor will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

²³ “Take away from Me the multitude of your songs (for I will not hear the melody of your viols.)

²⁴ “And let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty river.

70 O, God, hasten to deliver me! Hasten to help me, O LORD!

² Let those who seek my soul be confounded and put to shame. Let those who desire my hurt be turned backward and put to rebuke.

³ Let those who say, “Aha! Aha!” be turned back for a reward of their shame.

⁴ Let all those who seek You be joyful and glad in You; and let all who love Your salvation, say always, “God be praised!”

⁵ Now I am poor and needy. O, God, hasten to me. You are my Helper and my Deliverer: O LORD, do not delay.

¹³ Brothers, I would not have you be ignorant concerning those who are asleep, lest you mourn as others who have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus is dead and is risen, so also will God bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For we say this to you by the Word of the Lord: that we who live - and remain until the coming of the Lord - shall not precede those who sleep.

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first.

¹⁷ Then shall we who live and remain be caught up with them also in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸ Therefore, comfort one another with these words.

25 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven shall be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

² “And five of them were wise, and five foolish.

³ “The foolish took their lamps but took no oil with them.

⁴ “But the wise took oil in their flasks with their lamps.

⁵ “Now, while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

⁶ “And at midnight there was a cry made, ‘Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

⁸ “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil. For our lamps are out.’

⁹ “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, for there will not be enough for us and you. Rather, go to the market and buy some for yourselves.

¹⁰ “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready went in with him to the wedding. And the gate was shut.

¹¹ “Afterwards the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord! Lord! Open up for us!’

¹² “But he answered, and said, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’

¹³ “Therefore, watch. For you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come.