Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.
A Psalm of David.
141 Lord, I call upon You; (A)hurry to me!
(B)Listen to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be [a]counted as (C)incense before You;
The (D)raising of my hands as the (E)evening offering.
3 Set a (F)guard, Lord, [b]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (G)door of my lips.
4 (H)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds [c]of wickedness
With people who (I)do wrong;
And (J)may I not taste their delicacies.
5 May the (K)righteous strike me with mercy and discipline me;
It is (L)oil for the head;
My head shall not refuse it,
For my prayer (M)is still against their evil deeds.
6 Their judges are (N)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (O)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our (P)bones have been scattered at the (Q)mouth of [d]Sheol.
Promise of Restoration
14 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, [a]your fellow exiles, and the entire house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Keep far from the Lord; this land has been given (A)to us as a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a (B)sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ 17 Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I will (C)gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18 When they come there, they will (D)remove all its (E)detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 And I will (F)give them one heart, and put a new spirit within [b]them. And I will remove the (G)heart of stone from their flesh and give them a (H)heart of flesh, 20 so that they may (I)walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be (J)My people, and I shall be their God. 21 [c]But as for those whose hearts go after their (K)detestable things and abominations, I will [d](L)bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord God.
22 Then the cherubim (M)lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and (N)the glory of the God of Israel [e]hovered over them. 23 The (O)glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and (P)stood over the mountain which is east of the city. 24 And the (Q)Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to [f]Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen [g](R)left me. 25 And I (S)told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.
25 Therefore, (A)ridding yourselves of falsehood, (B)speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are (C)parts of one another. 26 (D)Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not (E)give the devil [a]an opportunity. 28 The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather (F)he must labor, (G)producing with his own hands what is good, (H)so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. 29 Let no [b](I)unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for (J)edification [c]according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 (K)Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, [d]by whom you were (L)sealed for the day of redemption. 31 (M)All bitterness, wrath, anger, [e]clamor, and slander must be (N)removed from you, along with all (O)malice. 32 (P)Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, (Q)just as God in Christ also has forgiven [f]you.
Be Imitators of God
5 (R)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and (S)walk in love, just as Christ also (T)loved [g]you and (U)gave Himself up for us, an (V)offering and a sacrifice to God [h]as a (W)fragrant aroma.
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