Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
8 I will listen to what God will say;
surely the Lord will declare peace
to his people, his faithful ones,
and not let them go back to foolish ways.(A)
9 His salvation is very near those who fear him,
so that glory may dwell in our land.(B)
10 Faithful love and truth will join together;
righteousness and peace will embrace.(C)
11 Truth will spring up from the earth,
and righteousness will look down from heaven.(D)
12 Also, the Lord will provide what is good,
and our land will yield its crops.(E)
13 Righteousness will go before him
to prepare the way for his steps.(F)
Judgment on Israel
6 The Lord says:
I will not relent from punishing Israel(A)
for three crimes, even four,
because they sell a righteous person for silver
and a needy person for a pair of sandals.(B)
7 They trample the heads of the poor(C)
on the dust of the ground
and obstruct the path of the needy.(D)
A man and his father have sexual relations
with the same girl,(E)
profaning my holy name.(F)
8 They stretch out beside every altar(G)
on garments taken as collateral,(H)
and in the house of their God
they drink wine obtained through fines.(I)
9 Yet I destroyed the Amorite(J) as Israel advanced;
his height(K) was like the cedars,
and he was as sturdy as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit(L) above and his roots beneath.
10 And I brought you from the land of Egypt(M)
and led you forty years in the wilderness(N)
in order to possess the land of the Amorite.(O)
11 I raised up some of your sons as prophets(P)
and some of your young men as Nazirites.(Q)
Is this not the case, Israelites?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine
and commanded the prophets,
“Do not prophesy.”(R)
13 Look, I am about to crush[a] you in your place(S)
as a wagon crushes when full of grain.
14 Escape will fail the swift,(T)
the strong one will not maintain his strength,(U)
and the warrior will not save his life.
15 The archer will not stand his ground,(V)
the one who is swift of foot
will not save himself,
and the one riding a horse will not save his life.(W)
16 Even the most courageous of the warriors
will flee naked on that day(X)—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
2 For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling(A) for you, for those in Laodicea,(B) and for all who have not seen me in person. 2 I want their hearts to be encouraged(C) and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery(D)—Christ.[a](E) 3 In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom(F) and knowledge.(G)
Christ versus the Colossian Heresy
4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. 5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit,(H) rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.
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