Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 123[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
123 I look up[c] toward you,
the one enthroned[d] in heaven.
2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female servant look to the hand of her mistress,[e]
so our eyes will look to the Lord, our God, until he shows us favor.
3 Show us favor, O Lord, show us favor!
For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some.[f]
4 We have had our fill[g]
of the taunts of the self-assured,
of the contempt of the proud.
Faulty Religion and Unethical Behavior Will Lead to Judgment
7 The Lord said to Jeremiah:[a] 2 “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s temple and proclaim[b] this message: ‘Listen to the Lord’s message, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord.[c] 3 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[d] says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right.[e] If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land.[f] 4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says,[g] “We are safe![h] The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!”[i] 5 You must change[j] the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly.[k] 6 Stop oppressing resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands.[l] Stop killing innocent people[m] in this land. Stop paying allegiance to[n] other gods. That will only bring about your ruin.[o] 7 If you stop doing these things,[p] I will allow you to continue to live in this land[q] that I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession.[r]
8 “‘But just look at you![s] You are putting your confidence in a false belief[t] that will not deliver you.[u] 9 You steal.[v] You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to[w] other gods whom you have not previously known. 10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own[x] and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins![y] 11 Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own[z] is to be a hideout for robbers?[aa] You had better take note![ab] I have seen for myself what you have done! says the Lord. 12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped[ac] in the early days. See what I did to it[ad] because of the wicked things my people Israel did. 13 You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again.[ae] But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent![af] 14 So I will destroy this temple that I have claimed as my own,[ag] this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors,[ah] just like I destroyed Shiloh.[ai] 15 And I will drive you out of my sight just like I drove out your relatives, the people of Israel.’[aj]
8 Already you are satisfied! Already you are rich! You have become kings without us! I wish you had become kings so that we could reign with you! 9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, brutally treated, and without a roof over our heads. 12 We do hard work, toiling with our own hands. When we are verbally abused, we respond with a blessing, when persecuted, we endure, 13 when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the world’s dirt and scum, even now.
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