Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
For the choir director; according to muth labben; [a] a psalm by David.[b]
9 I will give ⌞you⌟ thanks, O Lord, with all my heart.
I will tell about all the miracles you have done.
2 I will find joy and be glad about you.
I will make music to praise your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies retreat, they will stumble and die in your presence.
4 You have defended my just cause:
You sat down on your throne as a fair judge.
5 You condemned nations.
You destroyed wicked people.
You wiped out their names forever and ever.
6 The enemy is finished—in ruins forever.
You have uprooted their cities.
Even the memory of them has faded.
7 Yet, the Lord is enthroned forever.
He has set up his throne for judgment.
8 He alone judges the world with righteousness.
He judges ⌞its⌟ people fairly.
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust you, O Lord,
because you have never deserted those who seek your help.
11 Make music to praise the Lord, who is enthroned in Zion.
Announce to the nations what he has done.
12 The one who avenges murder has remembered oppressed people.
He has never forgotten their cries.
13 Have pity on me, O Lord.
Look at what I suffer because of those who hate me.
You take me away from the gates of death
14 so that I may recite your praises one by one
in the gates of Zion
and find joy in your salvation.
The Lord Will Comfort Zion
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month (the month of Shebat) in Darius’ second year as king, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah, who was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo.
8 During that night I saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, chestnut, and white horses.
9 “What do these horses mean, sir?” I asked.
The angel who was speaking with me answered, “I will show you what they mean.”
10 The man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They’re the horses the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.” 11 Then they reported to the Messenger of the Lord standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth. The whole world is at rest and in peace.”
12 Then the Messenger of the Lord said, “Lord of Armies, how much longer until you show compassion to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You’ve been angry with them for 70 years.” 13 The Lord responded to the angel who was speaking with me, using kind and comforting words.
14 The angel who was speaking with me said, “Announce: This is what the Lord of Armies says: I’m very jealous about Jerusalem and Zion, 15 and I’m very angry with the nations who think they are at ease. I was only a little angry, but they made things worse. 16 This is what the Lord of Armies says: I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion. My house will be rebuilt in it, declares the Lord of Armies. A measuring line will be used to rebuild Jerusalem.
17 “Announce again: This is what the Lord of Armies says: My cities will overflow with prosperity once more. The Lord will again comfort Zion and will again choose Jerusalem.” [a]
God Will Judge Everyone
2 No matter who you are, if you judge anyone, you have no excuse. When you judge another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things. 2 We know that God’s judgment is right when he condemns people for doing these things. 3 When you judge people for doing these things but then do them yourself, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Do you have contempt for God, who is very kind to you, puts up with you, and deals patiently with you? Don’t you realize that it is God’s kindness that is trying to lead you to him and change the way you think and act?
5 Since you are stubborn and don’t want to change the way you think and act, you are adding to the anger that God will have against you on that day when God vents his anger. At that time God will reveal that his decisions are fair. 6 He will pay all people back for what they have done. 7 He will give everlasting life to those who search for glory, honor, and immortality by persisting in doing what is good. But he will bring 8 anger and fury on those who, in selfish pride, refuse to believe the truth and who follow what is wrong. 9 There will be suffering and distress for every person who does evil, for Jews first and Greeks as well. 10 But there will be glory, honor, and peace for every person who does what is good, for Jews first and Greeks as well. 11 God does not play favorites.
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