Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Heth

Teth

Yodh

Kaph

Lamedh

Mem

Samekh

⁶ “^[a]Ho there! ^(A)Flee from the land of the north,” declares Yahweh, “for I have ^(B)dispersed you as the four winds of the heavens,” declares Yahweh. ⁷ “Woe, Zion! ^(C)Escape, you who are living with the daughter of Babylon.” ⁸ For thus says Yahweh of hosts, “After ^[b](D)glory He has sent Me against the nations which have taken you as spoil, for he who touches you, touches the ^[c](E)apple of His eye. ⁹ For behold, I will ^(F)wave My hand over them so that they will be ^(G)spoil for their slaves. Then you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent Me. ^10 (H)Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold, I am coming and I will ^(I)dwell in your midst,” declares Yahweh. ¹¹ “^(J)And many nations will join themselves to Yahweh in that day and will become My people. Then I will ^(K)dwell in your midst, and you will ^(L)know that Yahweh of hosts has sent Me to you. ¹² Then Yahweh will ^(M)inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land and will again ^(N)choose Jerusalem.

¹³ “^[d](O)Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh; for He is ^(P)aroused from His holy habitation.”

^7 (A)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? ^(B)May it never be! Rather, ^(C)I would not have come to know sin except ^[a]through the Law. For I would not have known about ^[b]coveting if the Law had not said, “^(D)You shall not ^[c]covet.” ⁸ But sin, ^(E)taking opportunity ^(F)through the commandment, worked out in me ^[d]coveting of every kind. For ^(G)apart ^[e]from the Law sin is dead. ⁹ Now I was once alive apart ^[f]from the Law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; ¹⁰ and this commandment, which was ^[g](H)to lead to life, was found ^[h]to lead to death for me. ¹¹ For sin, ^(I)taking an opportunity ^(J)through the commandment, ^(K)deceived me and through it killed me. ^12 (L)So, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

The Conflict of Two Natures

¹³ Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? ^(M)May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by working out my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would ^[i]become utterly sinful.

¹⁴ For we know that the Law is ^(N)spiritual, but I am ^(O)fleshly, ^(P)having been sold ^[j](Q)into bondage under sin. ¹⁵ For what I am working out, ^(R)I do not understand; for I am not practicing ^(S)what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ But if I do the very thing I do not want, I agree with ^(T)the Law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now, ^(U)no longer am I the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my ^(V)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the working out of the good is not. ¹⁹ For ^(W)the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. ²⁰ But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, ^(X)I am no longer the one working it out, but sin which dwells in me.