Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
An Appeal against the Devastation of the Land by the Enemy.
A [a]Maskil of Asaph.
74 God, why have You (A)rejected us forever?
Why does Your anger (B)smoke against the (C)sheep of Your [b]pasture?
2 Remember Your congregation, which You (D)purchased of old,
Which You have (E)redeemed to be the (F)tribe of Your inheritance;
And this Mount (G)Zion, where You have dwelt.
3 [c]Step toward the [d](H)irreparable ruins;
The enemy (I)has damaged everything in the sanctuary.
4 Your adversaries have (J)roared in the midst of Your meeting place;
They have set up their (K)own signs as (L)signs.
5 It [e]seems like one bringing up
His (M)axe into a [f]forest of trees.
6 And now they break down [g]all its (N)carved work
With axe and hammers.
7 They have [h](O)burned Your sanctuary [i]to the ground;
They have (P)defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
8 They (Q)said in their heart, “Let’s [j]completely [k]subdue them.”
They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our (R)signs;
There is (S)no longer any prophet,
Nor is there anyone among us who knows (T)how long.
10 How long, God, will the enemy (U)taunt You?
Shall the enemy (V)treat Your name disrespectfully forever?
11 Why (W)do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand?
Extend it from Your chest and (X)destroy them!
12 Yet God is (Y)my King from long ago,
Who performs acts of salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 [l]You (Z)divided the sea by Your strength;
[m]You (AA)broke the heads of the (AB)sea monsters [n]in the waters.
14 [o]You crushed the heads of [p](AC)Leviathan;
You gave him as food for the [q]creatures (AD)of the wilderness.
15 [r]You (AE)broke open springs and torrents;
[s]You (AF)dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, Yours also is the night;
[t]You have (AG)prepared the [u]light and the sun.
17 [v]You have (AH)established all the boundaries of the earth;
[w]You have [x]created (AI)summer and winter.
18 Remember this, [y]Lord, that the enemy has (AJ)taunted You,
And a (AK)foolish people has treated Your name disrespectfully.
19 Do not give the soul of Your (AL)turtledove to the wild animal;
(AM)Do not forget the life of Your afflicted forever.
20 Consider the (AN)covenant;
For the (AO)dark places of the land are full of the places of violence.
21 May the (AP)oppressed person not return dishonored;
May the (AQ)afflicted and the needy praise Your name.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, (A)Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?” 18 He said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because (B)you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and (C)you have followed the Baals. 19 Now then, send orders and gather to me all Israel at (D)Mount Carmel, (E)together with 450 prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of [a](F)the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
God or Baal on Mount Carmel
20 So Ahab sent orders among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “(G)How long are you going to [b]struggle with the two choices? (H)If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him so much as a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I (I)alone am left as a prophet of the Lord, while Baal’s prophets are (J)450 men. 23 Now have them give us two oxen; and have them choose the one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and (K)the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people replied, “[c]That is a good idea.”
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose the one ox for yourselves and prepare it first, since there are many of you, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under the ox.” 26 Then they took the ox which [d]was given them and they prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was (L)no voice and no one answered. And they [e]limped about the altar which [f]they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah ridiculed them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, since he is a god; undoubtedly he is attending to business, or is on the way, or is on a journey. Perhaps he is asleep, and will awaken.” 28 So they cried out with a loud voice, and (M)cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until blood gushed out on them. 29 When midday was past, they raved (N)until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and [g]no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come forward to me.” So all the people came forward to him. And (O)he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. 31 Then Elijah took twelve stones, corresponding to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “(P)Israel shall be your name.” 32 And with the stones he built an altar in (Q)the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two [h]measures of seed. 33 (R)Then he laid out the wood, and he cut the ox in pieces and placed it on the wood. 34 And he said, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” so they did it a second time. Then he said, “Do it a third time,” so they did it a third time. 35 The water flowed around the altar, and he also filled the trench with water.
Elijah’s Prayer
36 Then (S)at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached and said, “(T)Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that (U)You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant, and that (V)I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that You, Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back.” 38 Then the (W)fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, and the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell on their faces; and they said, “(X)The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God!” 40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to (Y)the brook Kishon, (Z)and slaughtered them there.
Satan Freed and Doomed
7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be (A)released from his prison, 8 and will come out to (B)deceive the nations which are at the (C)four corners of the earth, (D)Gog and Magog, to (E)gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the (F)sand of the [a]seashore. 9 And they (G)came up on the [b]broad plain of the earth and surrounded the (H)camp of the [c]saints and the (I)beloved city, and (J)fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And (K)the devil who (L)deceived them was thrown into the (M)lake of fire and [d]brimstone, where the (N)beast and the (O)false prophet are also; and they will be (P)tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment at the Throne of God
11 Then I saw a great white (Q)throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose [e]presence (R)earth and heaven fled, and (S)no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the (T)great and the small, standing before the throne, and [f](U)books were opened; and another [g]book was opened, which is (V)the book of life; and the dead (W)were judged from the things which were written in the [h]books, (X)according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and (Y)Death and Hades (Z)gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them (AA)according to their deeds. 14 Then (AB)Death and Hades were thrown into (AC)the lake of fire. This is the (AD)second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if [i]anyone’s name was not found written in (AE)the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
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