Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Song of Ascents
A Prayer for Mercy
130 I cry to you from the depths, Lord,
2 Lord, listen to my voice;
let your ears pay attention
to what I ask of you![a]
3 Lord,[b] if you were to record iniquities,
Lord, who could remain standing?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord;
my soul waits,
and I will hope in his word.
6 My soul looks to the Lord
more than watchmen look for the morning—
more, indeed, than[c] watchmen for the morning.
7 Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is gracious love,
along with abundant redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.
Israel Celebrates the Passover
30 Hezekiah also sent word to all of Israel and Judah, and wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem to observe the Passover to the Lord God of Israel. 2 The king, his princes, and the entire assembly in Jerusalem had mutually decided to observe the Passover in the second month, 3 but they had been unable to celebrate it then because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not yet been gathered together in Jerusalem. 4 This decision seemed to be a good one in the opinion of the king and of the entire assembly, 5 so they published a decree that was circulated throughout Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan that they are to come celebrate the Passover to the Lord God of Israel in Jerusalem. The Passover[a] had not been celebrated in great numbers as was being prescribed by the decree.[b]
6 Couriers were sent throughout all of Israel and Judah with letters written by the king and his princes, just as the king had commanded:
“Listen, you descendants of Israel! Come back to the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so he may come back to those of you who have escaped and survived from domination by[c] the kings of Assyria. 7 Don’t be like your ancestors and your relatives, who weren’t faithful to the Lord God of their ancestors, who, as a result, made them a desolate horror, as you well know. 8 So don’t be stiff-necked like your ancestors were. Instead, submit to the Lord, enter his sanctuary that he has sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your God so that he’ll stop being angry with you. 9 If you return to the Lord, your relatives and children will receive compassion from those who took them away captive, and they’ll return to this land, because the Lord is both gracious and compassionate—he will not turn away from you if you return to him.”
10 Couriers crossed from city to city throughout the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but those people[d] just mocked them and laughed at them. 11 Nevertheless, a few men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and traveled to Jerusalem. 12 God also poured out his grace throughout[e] Judah, giving them a dedicated[f] heart to do what the king and princes had decreed according to the message from the Lord.
No One is Justified by the Law
10 Certainly all who depend on the actions of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who does not obey everything that is written in the Book of the Law!”[a] 11 Now it is obvious that no one is justified in the sight of God by the Law, because “The righteous will live by faith.”[b] 12 But the Law has nothing to do with faith. Instead, “The person who keeps the commandments[c] will have life in them.”[d] 13 The Messiah[e] redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!”[f] 14 This happened[g] in order that the blessing promised to[h] Abraham would come to the gentiles through the Messiah[i] Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit[j] through faith.
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