Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

Jerusalem to Be Attacked

12 The ^[a]burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel.

Thus declares the Lord who ^(A)stretches out the heavens, ^(B)lays the foundation of the earth, and ^(C)forms the spirit of man within him, ² “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a ^(D)cup ^[b]that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against ^(E)Judah. ³ It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy ^(F)stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be ^(G)severely ^[c]injured. And all the ^(H)nations of the earth will be gathered against it. ⁴ In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will ^[d]watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. ⁵ Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘^[e]A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of hosts, their God.’

⁶ “In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a ^(I)firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the ^(J)inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem. ⁷ The Lord also will ^(K)save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of ^(L)David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah. ⁸ In that day the Lord will ^(M)defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who ^[f](N)is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like ^(O)God, like the ^(P)angel of the Lord before them. ⁹ And in that day I will ^[g](Q)set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

¹⁰ “I will ^(R)pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ^[h]the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have ^(S)pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one ^(T)mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. ¹¹ In that day there will be great ^(U)mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the ^[i]plain of ^[j]Megiddo. ¹² The land will 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 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 the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; ¹⁴ all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves.

False Prophets Ashamed

13 “In that day a ^(V)fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for ^(W)sin and for ^(X)impurity.

⁹ “But ^[a]be on your guard; for they will ^(A)deliver you to the ^[b]courts, and you will be flogged ^(B)in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. ^10 (C)The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. ^11 (D)When they ^[c]arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. ¹² Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and ^[d]have them put to death. ^13 (E)You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

¹⁴ “But ^(F)when you see the ^(G)abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. ^15 (H)The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; ¹⁶ and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. ¹⁷ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! ¹⁸ But pray that it may not happen in the winter. ¹⁹ For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred ^(I)since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. ²⁰ Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no ^[e]life would have been saved; but for the sake of the ^[f]elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. ²¹ And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is ^[g]the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; ²² for false Christs and ^(J)false prophets will arise, and will show ^[h](K)signs and ^(L)wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. ²³ But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.