Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
All Men Exhorted to Praise God.
A Psalm for [a]Thanksgiving.
14 Then the Lord will appear (A)over them,
And His (B)arrow will go forth like lightning;
And the Lord [a]God will blow the (C)trumpet,
And will march in the (D)storm winds of the south.
15 (E)The Lord of hosts will defend them.
And they will (F)devour and trample on the (G)sling stones;
And they will drink and be (H)boisterous as with wine;
And they will be filled like a sacrificial basin,
Drenched like the (I)corners of the altar.
16 And the Lord their God will (J)save them in that day
As the flock of His people;
For they are as the stones of a (K)crown,
[b]Sparkling in His land.
17 For what [c](L)comeliness and (M)beauty will be [d]theirs!
Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins.
God Will Bless Judah and Ephraim
10 Ask (N)rain from the Lord at the time of the spring rain—
The Lord who (O)makes the [e]storm clouds;
And He will give them (P)showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man.
2 For the (Q)teraphim speak [f]iniquity,
And the (R)diviners see [g]lying visions
And tell (S)false dreams;
They comfort in vain.
Therefore the people [h]wander like (T)sheep,
They are afflicted, because there is no shepherd.
Farewell to Ephesus
17 From Miletus he sent to (A)Ephesus and called to him (B)the elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,
“You yourselves know, (C)from the first day that I set foot in [a]Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me [b]through (D)the plots of the Jews; 20 how I (E)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and [c]from house to house, 21 solemnly (F)testifying to both Jews and Greeks of (G)repentance toward God and (H)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, bound by the [d]Spirit, (I)I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that (J)the Holy Spirit solemnly (K)testifies to me in every city, saying that (L)bonds and afflictions await me. 24 But (M)I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may (N)finish my course and (O)the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to (P)testify solemnly of the gospel of (Q)the grace of God.
25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about (R)preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I [e]testify to you this day that (S)I am [f]innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I (T)did not shrink from declaring to you the whole (U)purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all (V)the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you [g]overseers, to shepherd (W)the church of God which (X)He [h]purchased [i]with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure (Y)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing (Z)the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away (AA)the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of (AB)three years I did not cease to admonish each one (AC)with tears. 32 And now I (AD)commend you to God and to (AE)the word of His grace, which is able to (AF)build you up and to give you (AG)the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 (AH)I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 You yourselves know that (AI)these hands ministered to my own needs and to the (AJ)men who were with me. 35 In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 When he had said these things, he (AK)knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And [j]they began to weep aloud and [k](AL)embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38 [l]grieving especially over (AM)the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were (AN)accompanying him to the ship.
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