Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Send Out Your Light and Your Truth

The Priests' Polluted Offerings

^6 (A)“A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If then I am ^(B)a father, where is my honour? And if I am ^(C)a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. ^(D)But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ ^7 (E)By offering polluted food upon my altar. ^(F)But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that ^(G)the Lord's table may be despised. ^8 (H)When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favour? says the Lord of hosts. ⁹ And now ^(I)entreat the favour of God, that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand, ^(J)will he show favour to any of you? says the Lord of hosts. ^10 (K)Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, ^(L)and I will not accept an offering from your hand. ¹¹ For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name ^(M)will be^[a] great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name ^(N)will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. ¹² But you profane it when you say that ^(O)the Lord's table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. ¹³ But you say, ^(P)‘What a weariness this is’, and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. ^(Q)You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. ¹⁴ Cursed be the cheat who has ^(R)a male in his flock, and ^(S)vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For ^(T)I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name ^(U)will be feared among the nations.

The Lord Rebukes the Priests

2 “And now, ^(V)O priests, ^(W)this command is for you. ^2 (X)If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honour to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send ^(Y)the curse upon you and I will curse ^(Z)your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. ³ Behold, ^(AA)I will rebuke your offspring,^[b] and ^(AB)spread dung on your faces, the ^(AC)dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.^{[c] 4} So shall you know that I have sent ^(AD)this command to you, that ^(AE)my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of hosts. ⁵ My covenant with him was one of life and ^(AF)peace, and I gave them to him. ^(AG)It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. ^6 (AH)True instruction^[d] was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he ^(AI)turned many from iniquity. ⁷ For ^(AJ)the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people^[e] should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. ⁸ But you have turned aside from the way. ^(AK)You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted ^(AL)the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts, ⁹ and so ^(AM)I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but ^(AN)show partiality in your instruction.”

¹³ “But woe ^(A)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(B)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(C)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[a] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(D)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(E)child of ^(F)hell^[b] as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to ^(G)you, ^(H)blind guides, who say, ^(I)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(J)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(K)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(L)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(M)him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by ^(N)heaven swears by ^(O)the throne of God and by ^(P)him who sits upon it.

^23 (Q)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(R)you tithe mint and dill and ^(S)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^(T)justice and mercy and faithfulness. ^(U)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^(V)a camel!

^25 (W)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(X)you clean the outside of ^(Y)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^(Z)greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^(AA)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

^27 (AB)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(AC)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(AD)all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also ^(AE)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^(AF)hypocrisy and lawlessness.