Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God the Refuge of His People.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, [a]set to Alamoth. A Song.
46 God is our (A)refuge and strength,
[b]A very (B)present help (C)in [c]trouble.
2 Therefore we will (D)not fear, though (E)the earth should change
And though (F)the mountains slip into the heart of the [d]sea;
3 Though its (G)waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. [e]Selah.
4 There is a (H)river whose streams make glad the (I)city of God,
The holy (J)dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is (K)in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will (L)help her [f]when morning dawns.
6 The [g]nations (M)made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He [h](N)raised His voice, the earth (O)melted.
7 The Lord of hosts (P)is with us;
The God of Jacob is (Q)our stronghold. Selah.
8 Come, (R)behold the works of the Lord,
[i]Who has wrought (S)desolations in the earth.
9 He (T)makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He (U)breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He (V)burns the chariots with fire.
10 “[j]Cease striving and (W)know that I am God;
I will be (X)exalted among the [k]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
The Doomed Flock
11 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
That a (A)fire may feed on your (B)cedars.
2 Wail, O [a]cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
Because the glorious trees have been destroyed;
Wail, O oaks of Bashan,
For the [b]impenetrable forest has come down.
3 There is a sound of the shepherds’ (C)wail,
For their glory is ruined;
There is a (D)sound of the young lions’ roar,
For the [c]pride of the Jordan is ruined.
4 Thus says the Lord my God, “Pasture the flock doomed to (E)slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slay them and [d]go (F)unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for (G)I have become rich!’ And their (H)own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will (I)no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord; “but behold, I will (J)cause the men to [e]fall, each into another’s [f]power and into the [g]power of his king; and they will strike the land, and I will (K)not deliver them from their [h]power.”
7 So I (L)pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, [i]hence the (M)afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two (N)staffs: the one I called [j](O)Favor and the other I called [k](P)Union; so I pastured the flock. 8 Then I annihilated the three shepherds in (Q)one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also [l]was weary of me. 9 Then I said, “I will not pasture you. What is to (R)die, [m]let it die, and what is to be annihilated, [n]let it be annihilated; and [o]let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.” 10 I took my staff [p](S)Favor and cut it in pieces, to [q](T)break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was [r]broken on that day, and [s]thus the (U)afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the Lord. 12 I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my (V)wages; but if not, [t]never mind!” So they weighed out (W)thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the (X)potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14 Then I cut in pieces my second staff [u](Y)Union, to (Z)break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 The Lord said to me, “Take again for yourself the equipment of a [v](AA)foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will (AB)not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will (AC)devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.
3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who (B)according to His great mercy (C)has caused us to be born again to (D)a living hope through the (E)resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an (F)inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and (G)will not fade away, (H)reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are (I)protected by the power of God (J)through faith for (K)a salvation ready (L)to be revealed in the last time. 6 (M)In this you greatly rejoice, even though now (N)for a little while, (O)if necessary, you have been distressed by (P)various [a]trials, 7 so that the [b](Q)proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which [c]is perishable, (R)even though tested by fire, (S)may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at (T)the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and (U)though you have not seen Him, you (V)love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and [d]full of glory, 9 obtaining as (W)the outcome of your faith the salvation of [e]your souls.
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