Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
An Appeal for Israel’s Repentance
To the Chief Musician. (A)On[a] an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 Sing aloud to God our strength;
Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
The pleasant harp with the lute.
3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
4 For (B)this is a statute for Israel,
A law of the God of Jacob.
5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
(C)Where I heard a language I did not understand.
6 “I removed his shoulder from the burden;
His hands were freed from the baskets.
7 (D)You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
(E)I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I (F)tested you at the waters of [b]Meribah. Selah
8 “Hear,(G) O My people, and I will admonish you!
O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
9 There shall be no (H)foreign god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.
10 (I)I am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
(J)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But My people would not heed My voice,
And Israel would have (K)none of Me.
12 (L)So I gave them over to [c]their own stubborn heart,
To walk in their own counsels.
13 “Oh,(M) that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies,
And turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (N)The haters of the Lord would pretend submission to Him,
But their [d]fate would endure forever.
16 He would (O)have fed them also with [e]the finest of wheat;
And with honey (P)from the rock I would have satisfied you.”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord:
(A)“What injustice have your fathers found in Me,
That they have gone far from Me,
(B)Have followed [a]idols,
And have become idolaters?
6 Neither did they say, ‘Where is the Lord,
Who (C)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who led us through (D)the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and pits,
Through a land of drought and the shadow of death,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no one dwelt?’
7 I brought you into (E)a bountiful country,
To eat its fruit and its goodness.
But when you entered, you (F)defiled My land
And made My heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the (G)law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me;
(H)The prophets prophesied by Baal,
And walked after things that do not profit.
9 “Therefore (I)I will yet [b]bring charges against you,” says the Lord,
“And against your children’s children I will bring charges.
10 For pass beyond the coasts of [c]Cyprus and see,
Send to [d]Kedar and consider diligently,
And see if there has been such a (J)thing.
11 (K)Has a nation changed its gods,
Which are (L)not gods?
(M)But My people have changed their Glory
For what does not profit.
12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this,
And be horribly afraid;
Be very desolate,” says the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the (N)fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and (A)taught. 15 (B)And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
16 [a]Jesus answered them and said, (C)“My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 (D)If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 (E)He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who (F)seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and (G)no unrighteousness is in Him. 19 (H)Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? (I)Why do you seek to kill Me?”
20 The people answered and said, (J)“You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 (K)Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, (L)but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because (M)I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 (N)Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Could This Be the Christ?
25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to (O)kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. (P)Do the rulers know indeed that this is [b]truly the Christ? 27 (Q)However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, (R)“You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and (S)I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me (T)is true, (U)whom you do not know. 29 [c]But (V)I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
30 Therefore (W)they sought to take Him; but (X)no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. 31 And (Y)many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
37 (A)On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, (B)“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 (C)He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, (D)out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 (E)But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those [a]believing in Him would receive; for the [b]Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet (F)glorified.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.