Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁸ Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! To what end is the day of Jehovah for you? It shall be 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 Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

²¹ I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will not smell [a sweet odour] in your solemn assemblies.

²² For if ye offer up unto me burnt-offerings and your oblations, I will not accept [them]; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fatted beasts.

²³ Take away from me the noise of thy songs, and I will not hear the melody of thy lutes;

²⁴ but let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream.

To the chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David: to bring to remembrance.

70 Make haste, O God, to deliver me; Jehovah, [hasten] to my help.

² Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion that seek after my soul; let them be turned backward and confounded that take pleasure in mine adversity;

³ Let them turn back because of their shame that say, Aha! Aha!

⁴ Let all those that seek thee be glad and rejoice in thee, and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified!

⁵ But I am afflicted and needy: make haste unto me, O God. Thou art my help and my deliverer: O Jehovah, make no delay.

¹³ But we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are fallen asleep, to the end that ye be not grieved even as also the rest who have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus has died and has risen again, so also God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus.

¹⁵ (For this we say to you in [the] word of [the] Lord, that *we*, the living, who remain to the coming of the Lord, are in no way to anticipate those who have fallen asleep;

¹⁶ for the Lord himself, with an assembling shout, with archangel's voice and with trump of God, shall descend from heaven; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;

¹⁷ then *we*, the living who remain, shall be caught up together with them in [the] clouds, to meet the Lord in [the] air; and thus we shall be always with [the] Lord.

¹⁸ So encourage one another with these words.)

25 Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be made like to ten virgins that having taken their torches, went forth to meet the bridegroom.

² And five of them were prudent and five foolish.

³ They that were foolish took their torches and did not take oil with them;

⁴ but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their torches.

⁵ Now the bridegroom tarrying, they all grew heavy and slept.

⁶ But in [the] middle of [the] night there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom; go forth to meet him.

⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their torches.

⁸ And the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, for our torches are going out.

⁹ But the prudent answered saying, [We cannot,] lest it might not suffice for us and for you. Go rather to those that sell, and buy for yourselves.

¹⁰ But as they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and the [ones that were] ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.

¹¹ Afterwards come also the rest of the virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us;

¹² but he answering said, Verily I say unto you, I do not know you.

¹³ Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.