Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Trust in the Salvation of the Lord

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

The Coming Deliverance of Judah

12 The ^[a]burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, ^(A)who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and ^(B)forms the spirit of man within him: ² “Behold, I will make Jerusalem ^(C)a cup of ^[b]drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. ^3 (D)And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem ^(E)a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. ⁴ In that day,” says the Lord, ^(F)“I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. ⁵ And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’ ⁶ In that day I will make the governors of Judah ^(G)like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem.

⁷ “The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. ⁸ In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. ⁹ It shall be in that day that I will seek to ^(H)destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Mourning for the Pierced One

^10 (I)“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will ^(J)look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him ^(K)as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. ¹¹ In that day there shall be a great ^(L)mourning in Jerusalem, ^(M)like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of ^[c]Megiddo. ^12 (N)And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of ^(O)Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹³ the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself, and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴ all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.

Idolatry Cut Off

13 “In that ^(P)day ^(Q)a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for ^(R)uncleanness.

⁹ “But ^(A)watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will ^[a]be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. ¹⁰ And ^(B)the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. ^11 (C)But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, ^[b]or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, ^(D)but the Holy Spirit. ¹² Now ^(E)brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ^13 (F)And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But ^(G)he who ^[c]endures to the end shall be saved.

The Great Tribulation^(H)

^14 (I)“So when you see the ^(J)‘abomination of desolation,’ ^[d]spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then ^(K)let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. ¹⁶ And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. ^17 (L)But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ¹⁸ And pray that your flight may not be in winter. ^19 (M)For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. ²⁰ And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

^21 (N)“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. ²² For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and ^(O)wonders to deceive, if possible, even the ^[e]elect. ²³ But ^(P)take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.