Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A psalm of David when he ran away from his son Absalom.
3 Lord, I have so many enemies!
So many people are rising up against me!
2 Many are saying about me,
“God will not save him.”
3 Lord, you are like a shield that keeps me safe.
You bring me honor. You help me win the battle.
4 I call out to the Lord.
He answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep.
I wake up again, because the Lord takes care of me.
6 I won’t be afraid even though tens of thousands
attack me on every side.
7 Lord, rise up!
My God, save me!
Strike all my enemies in the face.
Break the teeth of sinful people.
8 Lord, you are the one who saves.
May your blessing be on your people.
12 “How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They build cities by spilling the blood of others.
They establish towns by doing what is wrong.
13 I am the Lord who rules over all.
Human effort is no better than wood that feeds a fire.
So the nations wear themselves out for nothing.
14 The oceans are full of water.
In the same way, the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of my glory.
15 “How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They give drinks to their neighbors.
They pour the drinks from wineskins
until their neighbors are drunk.
They want to look at their naked bodies.
16 But the Babylonians will be filled
with shame instead of glory.
So now it is their turn to drink
and be stripped of their clothes.
The cup of anger in my powerful right hand
is going to punish them.
They will be covered with shame instead of glory.
17 The harm they have done to Lebanon
will bring them down.
Because they have killed so many animals,
animals will terrify them.
They have spilled human blood.
They have destroyed lands and cities
and everyone in them.
18 “If someone carves a statue of a god, what is it worth?
What value is there in a god
that teaches lies?
The one who trusts in this kind of god
worships his own creation.
He makes statues of gods that can’t speak.
19 How terrible it will be for the Babylonians!
They say to a wooden god, ‘Come to life!’
They say to a stone god, ‘Wake up!’
Can those gods give advice?
They are covered with gold and silver.
They can’t even breathe.”
20 The Lord is in his holy temple.
Let the whole earth be silent in front of him.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears Out the Temple Courtyard
12 The next day as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Bethany, they were hungry. 13 Not too far away, he saw a fig tree. It was covered with leaves. He went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves. It was not the season for figs. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard him say it.
The Dried-Up Fig Tree
20 In the morning as Jesus and his disciples walked along, they saw the fig tree. It was dried up all the way down to the roots. 21 Peter remembered. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you put a curse on has dried up!”
22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus said. 23 “What I’m about to tell you is true. Suppose someone says to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea.’ They must not doubt in their heart. They must believe that what they say will happen. Then it will be done for them. 24 So I tell you, when you pray for something, believe that you have already received it. Then it will be yours.
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