Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God Abases the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.
For the choir director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.
75 We (A)give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks,
For Your name is (B)near;
Men declare (C)Your wondrous works.
2 “When I select an (D)appointed time,
It is I who (E)judge with equity.
3 “The (F)earth and all who dwell in it [b]melt;
It is I who have firmly set its (G)pillars. [c]Selah.
4 “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
And to the wicked, ‘(H)Do not lift up the horn;
5 Do not lift up your horn on high,
(I)Do not speak with insolent [d]pride.’”
6 For not from the east, nor from the west,
Nor from the [e](J)desert comes exaltation;
7 But (K)God is the Judge;
He (L)puts down one and exalts another.
8 For a (M)cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;
It is [f](N)well mixed, and He pours out of this;
Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and (O)drink down its dregs.
Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations
3 Woe to her who is (A)rebellious and (B)defiled,
The (C)tyrannical city!
2 She (D)heeded no voice,
She (E)accepted no instruction.
She did not (F)trust in the Lord,
She did not (G)draw near to her God.
3 Her (H)princes within her are roaring lions,
Her judges are (I)wolves at evening;
They leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are (J)reckless, treacherous men;
Her (K)priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the law.
5 The Lord is (L)righteous (M)within her;
He will (N)do no injustice.
(O)Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He does not fail.
But the unjust (P)knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are in ruins.
I have made their streets (Q)desolate,
With no one passing by;
Their (R)cities are laid waste,
Without a man, (S)without an inhabitant.
7 “I said, ‘Surely you will revere Me,
(T)Accept instruction.’
So her dwelling will (U)not be cut off
According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
But they were eager to (V)corrupt all their deeds.
8 “Therefore (W)wait for Me,” declares the Lord,
“For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My decision is to (X)gather nations,
To assemble kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For (Y)all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.
9 “For then I will [a]give to the peoples (Z)purified lips,
That all of them may (AA)call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him [b]shoulder to shoulder.
10 “From beyond the rivers of (AB)Ethiopia
My [c]worshipers, [d]My dispersed ones,
Will (AC)bring My offerings.
11 “In that day you will (AD)feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have rebelled against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your (AE)proud, exulting ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My (AF)holy mountain.
A Remnant of Israel
12 “But I will leave among you
A (AG)humble and lowly people,
And they will (AH)take refuge in the name of the Lord.
13 “The (AI)remnant of Israel will (AJ)do no wrong
And (AK)tell no lies,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will (AL)feed and lie down
With no one to make them tremble.”
Bond and Free
21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not (A)listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, (B)one by the bondwoman and (C)one by the free woman. 23 But (D)the son by the bondwoman [a]was born according to the flesh, and (E)the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 [b](F)This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from (G)Mount Sinai bearing children [c]who are to be (H)slaves; [d]she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But (I)the Jerusalem above is free; [e]she is our mother. 27 For it is written,
“(J)Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;
Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;
For more numerous are the children of the desolate
Than of the one who has a husband.”
28 And you brethren, (K)like Isaac, are (L)children of promise. 29 But as at that time (M)he who was born according to the flesh (N)persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, (O)so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say?
“(P)Cast out the bondwoman and her son,
For (Q)the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, [f]but of the free woman.
Walk by the Spirit
5 [g](R)It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore (S)keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a (T)yoke of slavery.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.