Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God Sustains His Servant.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
40 I (A)waited [a]patiently for the Lord;
And He reached down to me and (B)heard my cry.
2 He brought me up out of the (C)pit of [b]destruction, out of the mud;
And (D)He set my feet on a rock, (E)making my footsteps firm.
3 He put a (F)new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will (G)see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.
4 How (H)blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And (I)has not turned to the [c]proud, nor to those who (J)become involved in falsehood.
5 Many, Lord my God, are (K)the wonders which You have done,
And Your (L)thoughts toward us;
There is no one to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They (M)would be too numerous to count.
11 Since Ephraim has (A)multiplied altars for sin,
They have become altars of sinning for him.
12 Though (B)I wrote for him ten thousand precepts of My (C)Law,
They are regarded as a strange thing.
13 As for My (D)sacrificial gifts,
They (E)sacrifice the flesh and eat it,
But the Lord has taken no delight in them.
Now He will (F)remember their guilt,
And (G)punish them for their sins;
They will return to (H)Egypt.
14 For Israel has (I)forgotten his Maker and (J)built palaces;
And Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
But I will send a (K)fire on its cities, and it will consume its palatial buildings.
Retribution for Israel’s Sin
10 Israel is a luxuriant (A)vine;
He produces fruit for himself.
The more his fruit,
The more altars he (B)made;
The [a]richer his land,
The better [b]he made the (C)memorial stones.
2 Their heart is [c](D)deceitful;
Now they must suffer for their (E)guilt.
[d]The Lord will (F)break down their altars
And destroy their memorial stones.
The Changeless Christ
13 Let (A)love of the brothers and sisters continue. 2 Do not neglect (B)hospitality to strangers, for by this some have (C)entertained angels without knowing it. 3 (D)Remember (E)the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. 4 (F)Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; (G)for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. 5 Make sure that your character is (H)free from the love of money, (I)being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “(J)I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” 6 so that we confidently say,
“(K)The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”
7 Remember (L)those who led you, who spoke (M)the word of God to you; and considering the [a]result of their way of life, (N)imitate their faith. 8 (O)Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever. 9 (P)Do not be misled by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to (Q)be strengthened by grace, not by (R)foods, (S)through which those who [b]were so occupied were not benefited. 10 We have an altar (T)from which those (U)who serve the [c]tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For (V)the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered (W)outside the gate, (X)that He might sanctify the people (Y)through His own blood. 13 So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, (Z)bearing His reproach. 14 For here (AA)we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking (AB)the city which is to come.
God-pleasing Sacrifices
15 (AC)Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a (AD)sacrifice of praise to God, that is, (AE)the fruit of lips praising His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and (AF)sharing, for (AG)with such sacrifices God is pleased.
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