Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Davidic

Confidence in the Lord

A Plea and a Prayer from Malachi

¹⁰ Do we not have one father?^[a] Has not one God created us? Why does each of us act deceitfully, each man against his own brother, to profane the covenant of our ancestors? ¹¹ Judah has become unfaithful, and a detestable thing was committed in Israel and Jerusalem. Indeed, Judah profaned the Holy Place of the Lord, which he loves, and married a daughter of a foreign god. ¹² May the Lord exclude from the community^[b] of Jacob any man who does this, whoever he may be,^[c] even though he brings offerings to the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.

God’s Fourth Complaint: Against His Priests—Marital Abuses

¹³ “This is another thing you do: you flood the altar of the Lord with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer pays attention to your offering nor takes pleasure in it from your hand. ¹⁴ Yet you ask, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord acts as a witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you were unfaithful to her, your partner, the wife of your covenant. ¹⁵ Did he not make them^[d] one? And the vestige of the spirit remains in him. And why did he make them one? He was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and don’t be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

¹⁶ “Indeed, the Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce, along with the one who conceals his violence by outward appearances,”^[e] says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. “So guard yourselves carefully,^[f] and don’t be unfaithful.”

God’s Fifth Complaint: Against His People—Complaining about God.

¹⁷ “You have wearied the Lord with your words. You ask, ‘How have we wearied you?’ By your saying, ‘All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord and he’s pleased with them,’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’”

The Coming of the Messenger

3 “Watch out! I’m sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly, the Lord you are looking for will come to his Temple. He is the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Watch out! He is coming!” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.

The Birth of John the Baptist is Foretold

⁵ During the reign^[a] of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ Both of them were righteous before God, having lived blamelessly according to all of the commandments and regulations of the Lord. ⁷ They had no children because Elizabeth was barren and because both of them were getting old.^[b]

⁸ When Zechariah^[c] was serving with his division of priests in God’s presence, ⁹ he was chosen by lot to go into the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense, according to the custom of the priests. ¹⁰ And the entire congregation of people was praying outside at the time when the incense was burned.

¹¹ An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the incense altar. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was startled, and fear overwhelmed him. ¹³ But the angel told him, “Stop being afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to name him John. ¹⁴ You will have great joy,^[d] and many people will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ because he will be great in the Lord’s presence. He will never drink wine or any strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring many of Israel’s descendants back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He is the one who will go before the Lord^[e] with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, and to prepare the people to be ready for the Lord.”