Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
7 (A)“Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
(B)I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices (C)do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 (D)I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
(E)for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 (F)Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,[a]
and (G)perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and (H)call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will (I)deliver you, and you shall (J)glorify me.”
40 Let us test and examine our ways,
(A)and return to the Lord!
41 (B)Let us lift up our hearts and hands
to God in heaven:
42 (C)“We have transgressed and (D)rebelled,
and you have not forgiven.
43 “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
(E)killing without pity;
44 (F)you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
so that no prayer can pass through.
45 (G)You have made us scum and garbage
among the peoples.
46 (H)“All our enemies
open their mouths against us;
47 (I)panic and pitfall have come upon us,
devastation and (J)destruction;
48 (K)my eyes flow with rivers of tears
because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 (L)“My eyes will flow without ceasing,
without respite,
50 (M)until the Lord from heaven
looks down and sees;
51 my eyes cause me grief
at the fate of all the daughters of my city.
52 (N)“I have been hunted (O)like a bird
by those who were my enemies (P)without cause;
53 (Q)they flung me alive into the pit
(R)and cast stones on me;
54 (S)water closed over my head;
I said, (T)‘I am lost.’
Paul on Malta
28 After we were brought safely through, (A)we then learned that (B)the island was called Malta. 2 (C)The native people[a] showed us unusual (D)kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When (E)the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, (F)“No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, (G)Justice[b] has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, (H)shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, (I)they changed their minds and (J)said that he was a god.
7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and (K)prayed, and (L)putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly,[c] and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.