Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
My Help and My Deliverer
Psalm 70
1 For the music director, of David, for a memorial.
2 O God, come quickly to deliver me,
Adonai, to help me.
3 May they be put to shame and disgrace
who seek my life.
May they be turned back in humiliation
who delight in my hurt.
4 May those who say, “Aha! Aha!”
be turned away because of their shame.
5 But may all who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You.
May those who love Your salvation
always say, “Let God be magnified.”
6 But I am poor and needy—
God, come quickly to me.
You are my help and my deliverer—
Adonai, do not delay.
The Lion Roars at the Nations
1 The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds from Tekoa. He perceived these words concerning Israel during the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and during the days of Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2 He said:
Adonai roars from Zion,
From Jerusalem He gives His voice.
The shepherds’ pastures mourn,
and the top of Mount Carmel withers.
3 Thus says Adonai:
For three crimes of Damascus,
even for four, I will not relent.
For they threshed Gilead
with iron threshing sledges,
4 I will send fire into Hazael’s palace.
It will devour Ben-hadad’s citadels.
5 I will break the Damascus gate-bar
and cut off the inhabitant from the Valley of Aven,
wielding Beth-eden’s scepter.
So the people of Aram
will go into exile to Kir.
Adonai has said it.
6 Thus says Adonai:
“For three crimes of Gaza,
even for four, I will not relent.
For they exiled an entire population,
giving them over to Edom.
7 So I will send fire on the wall of Gaza
—it will devour its citadels.
8 I will cut off Ashdod’s inhabitant,
wielding Ashkelon’s scepter.
I will turn My hand against Ekron
and the rest of the Philistines will perish.
My Lord Adonai has said it.
9 Thus says Adonai:
For three crimes of Tyre,
even for four, I will not relent.
For they gave an entire population over to Edom,
and did not remember the covenant of brothers.
10 I will send fire on the wall of Tyre—
it will devour its citadels.
11 Thus says Adonai:
For three crimes of Edom
even for four, I will not relent.
For he pursued his brother with a sword
and stifled his compassion.
For his anger tore continually,
and he kept his wrath forever.
12 So I will send fire in Teman—
it will devour Bozrah’s citadels.
13 Thus says Adonai:
For three crimes of the sons of Ammon
even for four, I will not relent.
For they ripped open pregnant women of Gilead
to expand their territory,
14 I will kindle fire on Rabbah’s wall
and it will devour its citadels,
amid shouting on a day of battle,
with storm on a day of whirlwind.
15 Their king will go into exile,
he and his princes together.
Thus Adonai has said.
2 Thus says Adonai:
For three crimes of Moab
even for four, I will not relent.
For he burned the bones of Edom’s king to lime,
2 So I will send fire upon Moab—
it will devour Kerioth’s citadels.
Moab will die in an uproar,
with a shout of alarm
and the sound of the shofar.
3 I will cut off the ruler from her midst,
and slay all her princes with him.
Thus Adonai has said.
As for Judah and Israel
4 Thus says Adonai:
“For three crimes of Judah
even for four, I will not relent.
For they despise Adonai’s Torah
and have not kept His statutes.
Their lies have misled them—
those their fathers walked after.
5 So I will send fire upon Judah—
it will devour Jerusalem’s citadels.”
6 Then the seven angels holding the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. 7 The first trumpeted,[a] and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were thrown upon the earth.[b] A third of the earth burned up, a third of the trees burned up, and all the green grass burned up.
8 The second angel trumpeted, and something like a huge mountain[c] ablaze with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9 a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel trumpeted, and a great star fell from the heavens, burning like a torch. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 Now the name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters that were made bitter.[d]
12 The fourth angel trumpeted, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them were darkened.[e] A third of the day would not shine, as well as a third of the night.
13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying out with a loud voice as it flew high in the sky, saying, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpets the three angels are about to sound!”
9 Then the fifth angel trumpeted, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The key to the bottomless pit was given to him. 2 He opened the pit, and smoke rose from the pit like the smoke of a gigantic furnace.[f] The sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.
3 Then from the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given to them like the scorpions have power over the earth. [g] 4 They were told to do no harm to the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. [h] 5 And they were permitted not to kill them, but to torment them for five months—and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 In those days, people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.[i]
7 Now the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle.[j] On their heads were something like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. [k] 9 They had chests like iron breastplates; and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle. [l] 10 They have tails like scorpions with stingers; and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.[m]
12 The first woe is past. Behold, two woes are still coming after these things.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.