Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Heritage of the Righteous and the Calamity of the Wicked
A Psalm of David.
37 Do(A) not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down (B)like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 (C)Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your (D)heart.
5 (E)Commit[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 (F)He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
Sennacherib’s Threat and Hezekiah’s Prayer(A)
8 Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed (B)from Lachish. 9 And (C)the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Look, he has come out to make war with you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God (D)in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 (E)Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of (F)Eden who were in Telassar? 13 (G)Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ”
14 (H)And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One (I)who dwells between the cherubim, (J)You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 (K)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; (L)open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, (M)which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were (N)not gods, but (O)the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, (P)that all the kingdoms of the earth may (Q)know that You are the Lord God, You alone.”
The Word of the Lord Concerning Sennacherib(R)
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: (S)‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, (T)I have heard.’
Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death(A)
35 And (B)it came to pass on a certain night that the [a]angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at (C)Nineveh. 37 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons (D)Adrammelech and Sharezer (E)struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then (F)Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
The Compromising Church
12 “And to the [a]angel of the church in Pergamos write,
‘These things says (A)He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of (B)Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, (C)to eat things sacrificed to idols, (D)and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, [b]which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and (E)will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden (F)manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone (G)a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
The Corrupt Church
18 “And to the [c]angel of the church in Thyatira write,
‘These things says the Son of God, (H)who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: 19 (I)“I know your works, love, [d]service, faith, and your [e]patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. 20 Nevertheless I have [f]a few things against you, because you allow [g]that woman (J)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, [h]to teach and seduce My servants (K)to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time (L)to [i]repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. 22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of [j]their deeds. 23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who (M)searches[k] the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
24 “Now to you I say, [l]and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the (N)depths of Satan, as they say, (O)I [m]will put on you no other burden. 25 But hold fast (P)what you have till I come. 26 And he who overcomes, and keeps (Q)My works until the end, (R)to him I will give power over the nations—
27 ‘He(S) shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—
as I also have received from My Father; 28 and I will give him (T)the morning star.
29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.