Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
BOOK 4
God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.
A Prayer of [a]Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, You have been our [b](A)dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before (B)the mountains were born
[c]Or You (C)gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even (D)from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
3 You (E)turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
4 For (F)a thousand years in Your sight
Are like (G)yesterday when it passes by,
[d]Or as a (H)watch in the night.
5 You (I)have [e]swept them away like a flood, they [f](J)fall asleep;
In the morning they are like (K)grass which [g]sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it (L)flourishes and [h]sprouts anew;
Toward evening it (M)fades and (N)withers away.
9 For (A)all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a [a]sigh.
10 As for the days of our [b]life, [c]they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, (B)eighty years,
Yet their pride is but (C)labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we (D)fly away.
11 Who [d]understands the (E)power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the (F)fear [e]that is due You?
Punishment for Wickedness Foretold
7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “And you, son of man, thus says the Lord [a]God to the land of Israel, ‘An (A)end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. 3 Now the end is upon you, and I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you. 4 For My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will (B)bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will (C)know that I am the Lord!’
5 “Thus says the Lord [b]God, ‘A (D)disaster, unique disaster, behold it is coming! 6 An end is coming; the end has come! It has (E)awakened against you; behold, it has come! 7 Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The (F)time has come, the (G)day is near—tumult rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. 8 Now I will shortly (H)pour out My wrath on you and spend My anger against you; (I)judge you according to your ways and bring on you all your abominations. 9 My eye will show no pity nor will I spare. I will [c]repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the Lord, do the smiting.
8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon (A)the sun, (B)and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 9 Men were scorched with [a]fierce heat; and they (C)blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they (D)did not repent so as to (E)give Him glory.
10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the (F)throne of the beast, and his kingdom became (G)darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11 and they (H)blasphemed the (I)God of heaven because of their pains and their (J)sores; and they (K)did not repent of their deeds.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the (L)great river, the Euphrates; and (M)its water was dried up, so that (N)the way would be prepared for the kings (O)from the [b]east.
Armageddon
13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the (P)dragon and out of the mouth of the (Q)beast and out of the mouth of the (R)false prophet, three (S)unclean spirits like (T)frogs; 14 for they are (U)spirits of demons, (V)performing signs, which go out to the kings of the (W)whole [c]world, to (X)gather them together for the war of the (Y)great day of God, the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, (Z)I am coming like a thief. (AA)Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, (AB)so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) 16 And they (AC)gathered them together to the place which (AD)in Hebrew is called [d](AE)Har-Magedon.
Seventh Bowl of Wrath
17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon (AF)the air, and a (AG)loud voice came out of the [e](AH)temple from the throne, saying, “(AI)It is done.” 18 And there were flashes of (AJ)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was (AK)a great earthquake, (AL)such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. 19 (AM)The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the [f]nations fell. (AN)Babylon the great was (AO)remembered before God, to give her (AP)the cup of the wine of [g]His fierce wrath. 20 And (AQ)every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21 And (AR)huge [h]hailstones, about [i]one hundred pounds each, *came down from heaven upon men; and men (AS)blasphemed God because of the (AT)plague of the hail, because its plague *was extremely [j]severe.
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