Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer to God in Time of Trouble
43 Vindicate (A)me, O God,
And (B)plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!
2 For You are the God of my strength;
Why do You cast me off?
(C)Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Polluted Offerings
6 “A son (A)honors his father,
And a servant his master.
(B)If then I am the Father,
Where is My honor?
And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence?
Says the Lord of hosts
To you priests who despise My name.
(C)Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
7 “You offer (D)defiled food on My altar,
But say,
‘In what way have we defiled You?’
By saying,
(E)‘The table of the Lord is [a]contemptible.’
8 And (F)when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he (G)accept[b] you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.
9 “But now entreat God’s favor,
That He may be gracious to us.
(H)While this is being done by your hands,
Will He accept you favorably?”
Says the Lord of hosts.
10 “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors,
(I)So that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain?
I have no pleasure in you,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
(J)“Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
11 For (K)from the rising of the sun, even to its going down,
My name shall be great (L)among the Gentiles;
(M)In every place (N)incense shall be offered to My name,
And a pure offering;
(O)For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
12 “But you profane it,
In that you say,
(P)‘The table of the [c]Lord is defiled;
And its fruit, its food, is contemptible.’
13 You also say,
‘Oh, what a (Q)weariness!’
And you sneer at it,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick;
Thus you bring an offering!
(R)Should I accept this from your hand?”
Says the Lord.
14 “But cursed be (S)the deceiver
Who has in his flock a male,
And takes a vow,
But sacrifices to the Lord (T)what is blemished—
For (U)I am a great King,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“And My name is to be feared among the nations.
Corrupt Priests
2 “And now, O (V)priests, this commandment is for you.
2 (W)If you will not hear,
And if you will not take it to heart,
To give glory to My name,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“I will send a curse upon you,
And I will curse your blessings.
Yes, I have cursed them (X)already,
Because you do not take it to heart.
3 “Behold, I will rebuke your descendants
And spread (Y)refuse on your faces,
The refuse of your solemn feasts;
And one will (Z)take you away [d]with it.
4 Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you,
That My covenant with Levi may continue,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
5 “My(AA) covenant was with him, one of life and peace,
And I gave them to him (AB)that he might fear Me;
So he feared Me
And was reverent before My name.
6 (AC)The[e] law of truth was in his mouth,
And [f]injustice was not found on his lips.
He walked with Me in peace and equity,
And (AD)turned many away from iniquity.
7 “For(AE) the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
(AF)For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
8 But you have departed from the way;
You (AG)have caused many to stumble at the law.
(AH)You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
9 “Therefore (AI)I also have made you contemptible and base
Before all the people,
Because you have not kept My ways
But have shown (AJ)partiality in the law.”
13 “But (A)woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [a]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (B)For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of [b]hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, (C)blind guides, who say, (D)‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold (E)or the temple that [c]sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift (F)or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who [d]swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by (G)Him who [e]dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by (H)the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (I)For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and (J)have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (K)For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and [f]self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! (L)For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.