Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
5 Thus says the Lord (A)concerning the prophets
Who make my people stray;
Who chant [a]“Peace”
[b]While they (B)chew with their teeth,
But who prepare war against him
(C)Who puts nothing into their mouths:
6 “Therefore(D) you shall have night without [c]vision,
And you shall have darkness without divination;
The sun shall go down on the prophets,
And the day shall be dark for (E)them.
7 So the seers shall be ashamed,
And the diviners abashed;
Indeed they shall all cover their lips;
(F)For there is no answer from God.”
8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord,
And of justice and might,
(G)To declare to Jacob his transgression
And to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this,
You heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who abhor justice
And [d]pervert all equity,
10 (H)Who build up Zion with (I)bloodshed
And Jerusalem with iniquity:
11 (J)Her heads judge for a bribe,
(K)Her priests teach for pay,
And her prophets divine for [e]money.
(L)Yet they lean on the Lord, and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No harm can come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
Zion shall be (M)plowed like a field,
(N)Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins,
And (O)the mountain of the [f]temple
Like the bare hills of the forest.
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?
9 For you remember, brethren, our (A)labor and toil; for laboring night and day, (B)that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.
10 (C)You are witnesses, and God also, (D)how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and [a]charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 (E)that you would walk worthy of God (F)who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Their Conversion
13 For this reason we also thank God (G)without ceasing, because when you (H)received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it (I)not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively (J)works in you who believe.
Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees(A)
23 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: (B)“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you [a]to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for (C)they say, and do not do. 4 (D)For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to (E)be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 (F)They love the [b]best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ 8 (G)But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your [c]Teacher, [d]the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; (H)for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But (I)he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 (J)And whoever exalts himself will be [e]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be [f]exalted.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.