Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 139

The All-Knowing, Ever-Present God

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

Judah’s King Joash

^21 [a]Joash^[b](A) was seven years old when he became king.^(B) 12 ¹ In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king and reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, who was from Beer-sheba.^{(C) 2} Throughout the time Jehoiada^(D) the priest instructed^(E) him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight.^{(F) 3} Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.^(G)

Repairing the Temple

⁴ Then^(H) Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated money brought to the Lord’s temple,^(I) census money,^(J) money from vows,^(K) and all money voluntarily given^(L) for the Lord’s temple, ⁵ each priest is to take from his assessor^[c] and repair whatever damage to the temple is found.”^[d](M)

⁶ But by the twenty-third year^(N) of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage^[e] to the temple.^{(O) 7} So King Joash called Jehoiada^(P) the priest and the other priests and said, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any money from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” ⁸ So the priests agreed they would not take money from the people and they would not repair the temple’s damage.

⁹ Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest,^(Q) bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the Lord’s temple; in it the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the Lord’s temple.^{(R) 10} Whenever they saw there was a large amount of money in the chest, the king’s secretary^(S) and the high priest would go to the Lord’s temple and count the money found there and tie it up in bags.^{(T) 11} Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those doing the work—those who oversaw the Lord’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the Lord’s temple—the carpenters, the builders, ¹² the masons, and the stonecutters—and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the Lord’s temple^(U) and for all spending for temple repairs.

¹³ However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver^(V) were made for the Lord’s temple from the money brought into the temple. ¹⁴ Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the Lord’s temple with it. ¹⁵ No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity.^{(W) 16} The money from the restitution offering and the sin offering was not brought to the Lord’s temple since it belonged to the priests.^(X)

Warning to the Rich

5 Come now, you rich^(A) people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. ² Your wealth is ruined and your clothes are moth-eaten.^{(B) 3} Your silver and gold are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days!^{(C) 4} Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers^(D) who reaped your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.^{[a](E) 5} You have lived luxuriously on the land and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts^(F) for^[b] the day of slaughter.^{(G) 6} You have condemned—you have murdered—the righteous man; he does not resist you.^(H)