Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
8 I will hear what the true God, the Lord, will say.
He indeed speaks peace to his people, to his favored ones,
but do not let them turn to foolish ways.
9 Surely his salvation is near for those who fear him,
so that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth meet together.
Righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Truth springs up from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give good things,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness walks in front of him.
It prepares the way for his footsteps.
Judgment Against Israel
6 This is what the Lord says:
Because of three sins of Israel,
because of four, I will not hold back judgment,
because they sell the righteous for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 They trample the heads of the poor into the dust of the earth,
and they turn aside the claims of the oppressed.
A man and his father go to the same young woman.
In this way they profane my holy name.
8 They stretch themselves out beside every altar
on pieces of clothing they seized as collateral.
In the temple of their gods they drink wine obtained through fines.
9 I was the one who destroyed the Amorites in front of them,
the Amorites, who were as tall as cedars,
who were as strong as oaks.
I destroyed their fruit above and their roots below.
10 I myself brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and I led you in the wilderness for forty years,
so that you would take possession of the land of the Amorites.
11 I raised up some of your sons to be prophets,
and some of your best young men to be Nazirites.
Is this not so, you people of Israel? declares the Lord.
12 But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
and you commanded the prophets, “You must not prophesy!”
13 Look, I am weighed down under you,
just as a cart is weighed down when it is loaded with sheaves of grain.[a]
14 There will be no escape for the swift runner.
The powerful man will not be able to exert his strength,
and the strong warrior will not be able to save his own life.
15 The archer will not stand his ground.
The swift runner will not save himself,
and the horseman will not save his own life.
16 The most courageous among the warriors will flee naked on that day,
declares the Lord.
2 Indeed, I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those in Laodicea, and for all those who have not seen me personally. 2 I am doing this so that their hearts may be encouraged as they are brought together in love, and into all the wealth of assurance that understanding brings, into the knowledge of the mystery of God, which is Christ.[a] 3 All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him.
4 I say this so that no one deceives you with persuasive speech that sounds reasonable. 5 For though I am absent bodily, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your orderliness and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.