Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
68 “Blessed[a] be the Lord God of Israel,
because he has come to help[b] and has redeemed[c] his people.
69 For[d] he has raised up[e] a horn of salvation[f] for us in the house of his servant David,[g]
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,[h]
71 that we should be saved[i] from our enemies,[j]
and from the hand of all who hate us.
72 He has done this[k] to show mercy[l] to our ancestors,[m]
and to remember his holy covenant[n]—
73 the oath[o] that he swore to our ancestor[p] Abraham.
This oath grants[q]
74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our[r] enemies,
may serve him without fear,[s]
75 in holiness and righteousness[t] before him for as long as we live.[u]
76 And you, child,[v] will be called the prophet[w] of the Most High.[x]
For you will go before[y] the Lord to prepare his ways,[z]
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation[aa] through the forgiveness[ab] of their sins.
78 Because of[ac] our God’s tender mercy[ad]
the dawn[ae] will break[af] upon us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,[ag]
to guide our feet into the way[ah] of peace.”
5 “I[a] will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination; those who commit adultery; those who break promises;[b] and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans,[c] who refuse to help[d] the resident foreigner[e] and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Resistance to the Lord through Selfishness
6 “Since, I, the Lord, do not go back on my promises,[f] you, sons of Jacob, have not perished. 7 From the days of your ancestors you have ignored[g] my commandments[h] and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you say, ‘How should we return?’ 8 Can a person rob[i] God? You are indeed robbing me, but you say, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and contributions![j] 9 You are bound for judgment[k] because you are robbing me—this whole nation is guilty.[l]
10 “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse[m] so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it all. 11 Then I will stop the plague[n] from ruining your crops,[o] and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “All nations will call you blessed, for you indeed will live in[p] a delightful land,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Ministry as a Prisoner
12 I want you to know, brothers and sisters,[a] that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel:[b] 13 The[c] whole imperial guard[d] and everyone else knows[e] that I am in prison[f] for the sake of Christ, 14 and most of the brothers and sisters,[g] having confidence in the Lord[h] because of my imprisonment, now more than ever[i] dare to speak the word[j] fearlessly.
15 Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. 16 The latter do so from love because they know that I am placed here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, because they think they can cause trouble for me in my imprisonment.[k] 18 What is the result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.
Yes,[l] and I will continue to rejoice,
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.