Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 113[a]
113 Praise the Lord.
Praise, you servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
2 May the Lord’s name be praised
now and forevermore.
3 From east to west[b]
the Lord’s name is deserving of praise.
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations;
his splendor reaches beyond the sky.[c]
5 Who can compare to the Lord our God,
who sits on a high throne?[d]
6 He bends down to look[e]
at the sky and the earth.
7 He raises the poor from the dirt,
and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile,[f]
8 that he might seat him with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He makes the barren woman of the family[g]
a happy mother of children.[h]
Praise the Lord.
Disaster is Coming
8 Beware, those who accumulate houses,[a]
who also accumulate field after field[b]
until there is no land left,[c]
and you are the only landowners remaining within the land.[d]
9 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies told me this:[e]
“Many houses will certainly become desolate,
large, impressive houses will have no one living in them.[f]
10 Indeed, a large vineyard[g] will produce just a few gallons,[h]
and enough seed to yield several bushels[i] will produce less than a bushel.”[j]
11 Beware, those who get up early to drink beer,[k]
those who keep drinking long after dark
until they are intoxicated with wine.[l]
12 They have stringed instruments,[m] tambourines, flutes,
and wine at their parties.
So they do not recognize what the Lord is doing,
they do not perceive what he is bringing about.[n]
13 Therefore my[o] people will be deported[p]
because of their lack of understanding.
Their[q] leaders will have nothing to eat,[r]
their[s] masses will have nothing to drink.[t]
14 So Death[u] will open up its throat,
and open wide its mouth;[v]
Zion’s dignitaries and masses will descend into it,
including those who revel and celebrate within her.[w]
15 Men will be humiliated,
they will be brought low;
the proud will be brought low.[x]
16 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be exalted[y] when he punishes,[z]
the holy God’s authority will be recognized when he judges.[aa]
17 Lambs[ab] will graze as if in their pastures,
amid the ruins the rich sojourners will graze.[ac]
18 Beware, those who pull evil along using cords of emptiness are as good as dead,[ad]
who pull sin as with cart ropes.[ae]
19 They say, “Let him hurry, let him act quickly,[af]
so we can see;
let the plan of the Holy One of Israel[ag] take shape[ah] and come to pass,
then we will know it!”
20 Beware, those who call evil good and good evil,[ai]
who turn darkness into light and light into darkness,
who turn bitter into sweet and sweet into bitter.[aj]
21 Beware, those who think they are wise,[ak]
those who think they possess understanding.[al]
22 Beware, those who are champions[am] at drinking,
who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.
23 They pronounce the guilty innocent for a payoff,
they ignore the just cause of the innocent.[an]
The Widow’s Offering
41 Then[a] he[b] sat down opposite the offering box,[c] and watched the crowd putting coins into it. Many rich people were throwing in large amounts. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins,[d] worth less than a penny. 43 He called his disciples and said to them, “I tell you the truth,[e] this poor widow has put more into the offering box[f] than all the others.[g] 44 For they all gave out of their wealth.[h] But she, out of her poverty, put in what she had to live on, everything she had.”[i]
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