Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Trust in His Chesed

Psalm 13

Jerusalem, a Cup of Reeling

12 The burden of the word of Adonai concerning Israel.

A declaration of Adonai, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: ² “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples when they besiege Jerusalem as well as Judah. ³ Moreover, in that day I will make Jerusalem a massive stone for all the people. All who try to lift it will be cut to pieces. Nevertheless, all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against her. ⁴ In that day”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will keep My eyes on the house of Judah but will blind every horse of the peoples. ⁵ Then the leaders of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength through Adonai-Tzva’ot their God.”

⁶ “In that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a burning torch among sheaves. They will devour on the right and on the left all the surrounding peoples, yet Jerusalem will remain in her place, in Jerusalem. ⁷ Adonai also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and the honor of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not exceed that of Judah. ⁸ In that day Adonai will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that the weakest among them that day will be like David and the house of David will be like God—like the angel of Adonai before them. ⁹ It will happen in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Mourning the Pierced One

¹⁰ “Then I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, when they will look toward Me whom they pierced.^[a] They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son and grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for a firstborn. ¹¹ In that day there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, mourning like Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo. ¹² The land will mourn clan by clan. The clan of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves, the clan of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves, ¹³ the clan of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves, the clan of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves. ¹⁴ Each of the remaining clans will mourn by itself and their wives by themselves.”

Final Cleansing from Sin

13 “In that day a spring will be opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity.

⁹ “Watch out for yourselves! They will hand you over to the courts, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them. ¹⁰ The Good News must first be proclaimed to all the nations. ¹¹ When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Say whatever is given to you in that hour, for it is not you who speaks but the Ruach ha-Kodesh. ¹² Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. And children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Birth Pangs Before Deliverance

¹⁴ “But when you see ‘the abomination of desolation’^[a] standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ The one on the roof must not go down, nor enter to take anything out of his house. ¹⁶ And the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. ¹⁷ Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it will not happen in winter.

¹⁹ “For in those days there will be trouble such as has never happened,^[b] not since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. ²⁰ And unless Adonai had cut short those days, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He cut short the days.

²¹ “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there He is!’ do not believe it. ²² For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up^[c] and show signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the chosen. ²³ So be careful! See, I have told you everything beforehand.”