Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A psalm of Asaph.

¹⁶ But here is what God says to a sinful person.

Have Justice and Mercy

7 During the fourth year that Darius was king, a message from the Lord came to me. It was the fourth day of the ninth month. That’s the month of Kislev. ² The people of Bethel wanted to ask the Lord for his blessing. So they sent Sharezer and Regem-Melek and their men. ³ They went to the prophets and priests at the Lord’s temple. They asked them, “Should we mourn and go without eating in the fifth month? That’s what we’ve done for many years.”

⁴ Then the message came to me from the Lord who rules over all. He said, ⁵ “Ask the priests and all the people in the land a question for me. Say to them, ‘You mourned and fasted in the fifth and seventh months. You did it for the past 70 years. But did you really do it for me? ⁶ And when you were eating and drinking, weren’t you just enjoying good food for yourselves? ⁷ Didn’t I tell you the same thing through the earlier prophets? That was when Jerusalem and the towns around it were at rest and enjoyed success. People lived in the Negev Desert and the western hills at that time.’ ”

⁸ Another message from the Lord came to me. ⁹ Here is what the Lord who rules over all said to his people. “Treat everyone with justice. Show mercy and tender concern to one another. ¹⁰ Do not take advantage of widows. Do not mistreat children whose fathers have died. Do not be mean to outsiders or poor people. Do not make evil plans against one another.”

¹¹ But they refused to pay attention to the Lord. They were stubborn. They turned their backs and covered their ears. ¹² They made their hearts as hard as the hardest stone. They wouldn’t listen to the law. They wouldn’t pay attention to the Lord’s messages. So the Lord who rules over all was very angry. After all, his Spirit had spoken to his people through the earlier prophets.

¹³ “When I called, they did not listen,” says the Lord. “So when they called, I would not listen. ¹⁴ I used a windstorm to scatter them among all the nations. They were strangers there. The land they left behind became dry and empty. No one could even travel through it. This is how they turned the pleasant land into a dry and empty desert.”

⁵ I want to remind you about some things you already know. The Lord saved his people. At one time he brought them out of Egypt. But later he destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ Some of the angels didn’t stay where they belonged. They didn’t keep their positions of authority. The Lord has kept those angels in darkness. They are held by chains that last forever. On judgment day, God will judge them. ⁷ The people of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them also did evil things. They freely committed sexual sins. They committed sins of the worst possible kind. There is a fire that never goes out. Those people are an example of those who are punished with it.

⁸ In the very same way, these ungodly people act on their evil dreams. So they make their own bodies impure. They don’t accept authority. And they say evil things against heavenly beings. ⁹ But even Michael, the leader of the angels, didn’t dare to say these things. He didn’t even say these things when he argued with the devil about the body of Moses. Michael didn’t dare to judge the devil. He didn’t say the devil was guilty of saying evil things. Instead, Michael said, “May the Lord judge you!” ¹⁰ But these people say evil things against whatever they don’t understand. And the very things they do understand will destroy them. That’s because they are like wild animals that can’t think for themselves. Instead, they do what comes naturally to them.

¹¹ How terrible it will be for them! They have followed the way of Cain. They have rushed into the same mistake Balaam made. They did it because they loved money. They are like Korah. He turned against his leaders. These people will certainly be destroyed, just as Korah was.

¹² These ungodly people are like stains at the meals you share. They have no shame. They are shepherds who feed only themselves. They are like clouds without rain. They are blown along by the wind. They are like trees in the fall. Since they have no fruit, they are pulled out of the ground. So they die twice. ¹³ They are like wild waves of the sea. Their shame rises up like foam. They are like falling stars. God has reserved a place of very black darkness for them forever.

¹⁴ Enoch was the seventh man in the family line of Adam. He gave a prophecy about these people. He said, “Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones. ¹⁵ He is coming to judge everyone. He is coming to sentence all of them. He will judge them for all the ungodly acts they have done. They have done them in ungodly ways. He will sentence ungodly sinners for all the things they have said to oppose him.” ¹⁶ These people complain and find fault with others. They follow their own evil desires. They brag about themselves. They praise others to get what they want.

Remain in God’s Love

¹⁷ Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said would happen. ¹⁸ They told you, “In the last days, some people will make fun of the truth. They will follow their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ They are the people who separate you from one another. They do only what comes naturally. They are not led by the Holy Spirit.

²⁰ But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Let the Holy Spirit guide and help you when you pray. ²¹ And by doing these things, remain in God’s love as you wait. You are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.