Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer in Times of Trouble

Judgment against Priests

⁶ I, the Lord All-Powerful, have something to say to you priests. Children respect their fathers, and servants respect their masters. I am your father and your master, so why don't you respect me? You priests have insulted me, and now you ask, “How did we insult you?”

⁷ You embarrass me by offering worthless food on my altar. Then you ask, “How have we embarrassed you?” You have done it by saying, “What's so great about the Lord's altar?”

^8 (A) But isn't it wrong to offer animals that are blind, lame, or sick? Just try giving those animals to your governor. That certainly wouldn't please him or make him want to help you. ⁹ I am the Lord God All-Powerful, and you had better try to please me. You have sinned. Now see if I will have mercy on any of you.

¹⁰ I wish someone would lock the doors of my temple, so you would stop wasting time building fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you priests, and I refuse to accept any more of your offerings. ¹¹ From dawn until dusk my name is praised by every nation on this earth, as they burn incense and offer the proper sacrifices to me. ¹² But even you priests insult me by saying, “There's nothing special about the Lord's altar, and these sacrifices are worthless.”

¹³ You get so disgusted that you even make vulgar signs at me.^[a] And for an offering, you bring stolen^[b] animals or those that are lame or sick. Should I accept these? ¹⁴ Instead of offering the acceptable animals you have promised, you bring me those that are unhealthy. I will punish you for this, because I am the great King, the Lord All-Powerful, and I am worshiped by nations everywhere.

True and False Priests

2 I, the Lord All-Powerful, have something else to say to you priests. ² You had better take seriously the need to honor my name. Otherwise, when you give a blessing, I will turn it into a curse. In fact, I have already done this, because you haven't taken to heart your duties as priests. ³ I will punish your descendants and rub your faces in the manure from your animal sacrifices, and then be done with you.^[c]

^4 (B) I am telling you this, so I can continue to keep my agreement with your ancestor Levi. ^5 (C) I blessed him with a full life, as I had promised, and he kept his part of the agreement by honoring me and respecting my name. ⁶ He taught the truth and never told lies, and he led a lot of people to turn from sin, because he obeyed me and lived right.

⁷ You priests should be eager to spread knowledge, and everyone should come to you for instruction, because you speak for me, the Lord All-Powerful. ⁸ But you have turned your backs on me. Your teachings have led others to do sinful things, and you have broken the agreement I made with your ancestor Levi. ⁹ So I caused everyone to hate and despise you, because you disobeyed me and failed to treat all people alike.

^13-14 You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won't go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in.^[a]

¹⁵ You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.

¹⁶ You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple. ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

¹⁸ You also teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar. ¹⁹ Are you blind? Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it. ²¹ And anyone who swears by the temple also swears by God, who lives there. ^22 (A) To swear by heaven is the same as swearing by God's throne and by the one who sits on that throne.

^23 (B) You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either. ²⁴ You blind leaders! You strain out a small fly but swallow a camel.

²⁵ You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, while inside there is nothing but greed and selfishness. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of a cup, and then the outside will also be clean.

^27 (C) You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs that have been whitewashed.^[b] On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth. ²⁸ That's what you are like. Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good.