Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
For the choir director; for flutes; a psalm by David.
5 Open your ears to my words, O Lord.
Consider my innermost thoughts.
2 Pay attention to my cry for help, my king and my God,
because I pray only to you.
3 In the morning, O Lord, hear my voice.
In the morning I lay my needs in front of you,
and I wait.
4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness.
Evil will never be your guest.
5 Those who brag cannot stand in your sight.
You hate all troublemakers.
6 You destroy those who tell lies.
The Lord is disgusted with bloodthirsty and deceitful people.
7 But I will enter your house because of your great mercy.
Out of reverence for you, I will bow toward your holy temple.
8 O Lord, lead me in your righteousness because of those who spy on me.
Make your way in front of me smooth.
9 Nothing in their mouths is truthful.
Destruction comes from their hearts.
Their throats are open graves.
They flatter with their tongues.
10 Condemn them, O God.
Let their own schemes be their downfall.
Throw them out for their many crimes
because they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice.
Let them sing with joy forever.
Protect them, and let those who love your name triumph in you.
12 You bless righteous people, O Lord.
Like a large shield, you surround them with your favor.
The Lord Has to Remind Jonah about His Mercy
4 Jonah was very upset about this, and he became angry. 2 So he prayed to the Lord, “Lord, isn’t this what I said would happen when I was still in my own country? That’s why I tried to run to Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, patient, and always ready to forgive and to reconsider your threats of destruction. 3 So now, Lord, take my life. I’d rather be dead than alive.”
4 The Lord asked, “What right do you have to be angry?”
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east of it. He made himself a shelter there. He sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 The Lord God made a plant grow up beside Jonah to give him shade and make him more comfortable. Jonah was very happy with the plant.
7 At dawn the next day, God sent a worm to attack the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God made a hot east wind blow. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he was about to faint. He wanted to die. So he said, “I’d rather be dead than alive.”
9 Then God asked Jonah, “What right do you have to be angry over this plant?”
Jonah answered, “I have every right to be angry—so angry that I want to die.”
10 The Lord replied, “This plant grew up overnight and died overnight. You didn’t plant it or make it grow. Yet, you feel sorry for this plant. 11 Shouldn’t I feel sorry for this important city, Nineveh? It has more than 120,000 people in it as well as many animals. These people couldn’t tell their right hand from their left.”
Philip Tells an Ethiopian about Jesus
26 An angel from the Lord said to Philip, “Get up, and take the desert road that goes south from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So Philip went.
An Ethiopian man who had come to Jerusalem to worship was on his way home. The man was a eunuch, a high-ranking official in charge of all the treasures of Queen Candace of Ethiopia. 28 As the official rode along in his carriage, he was reading the prophet Isaiah out loud.
29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Go to that carriage, and stay close to it.”
30 Philip ran to the carriage and could hear the official reading the prophet Isaiah out loud. Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
31 The official answered, “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to sit with him in his carriage.
32 This was the part of the Scriptures that the official was reading:
“He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
He was like a sheep that is silent
when its wool is cut off.
He didn’t open his mouth.
33 When he humbled himself,
he was not judged fairly.
Who from his generation
will talk about his life on earth being cut short?”
34 The official said to Philip, “I would like to know who the prophet is talking about. Is he talking about himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip spoke. Starting with that passage, Philip told the official the Good News about Jesus.
36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The official said to Philip, “Look, there’s some water. What can keep me from being baptized?” [a] 38 The official ordered the carriage to stop. He and Philip stepped into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they had stepped out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official joyfully continued on his way and didn’t see Philip again.
40 Philip found himself in the city of Azotus. He traveled through all the cities and spread the Good News until he came to the city of Caesarea.
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