Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
(A)‘For (B)Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
3 Therefore with joy you will draw (C)water
From the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say:
(D)“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
(E)Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His (F)name is exalted.
5 (G)Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
6 (H)Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is (I)the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
4 Hear this, you who [a]swallow up the needy,
And make the poor of the land fail,
5 Saying:
“When will the New Moon be past,
That we may sell grain?
And (A)the Sabbath,
That we may [b]trade wheat?
(B)Making the ephah small and the shekel large,
Falsifying the scales by (C)deceit,
6 That we may buy the poor for (D)silver,
And the needy for a pair of sandals—
Even sell the bad wheat?”
7 The Lord has sworn by (E)the pride of Jacob:
“Surely (F)I will never forget any of their works.
8 (G)Shall the land not tremble for this,
And everyone mourn who dwells in it?
All of it shall swell like [c]the River,
Heave and subside
(H)Like the River of Egypt.
9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord God,
(I)“That I will make the sun go down at noon,
And I will darken the earth in [d]broad daylight;
10 I will turn your feasts into (J)mourning,
(K)And all your songs into lamentation;
(L)I will bring sackcloth on every waist,
And baldness on every head;
I will make it like mourning for an only son,
And its end like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But (M)of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall (N)not find it.
Administering the Gift
9 Now concerning (A)the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; 2 for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a (B)year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. 3 (C)Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; 4 lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this [a]confident boasting. 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to [b]exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a [c]grudging obligation.
The Cheerful Giver
6 (D)But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows [d]bountifully will also reap [e]bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, (E)not grudgingly or of [f]necessity; for (F)God loves a cheerful giver. 8 (G)And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written:
(H)“He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now [g]may He who (I)supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, [h]supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your (J)righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, (K)which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only (L)supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they (M)glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal (N)sharing with them and all men, 14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding (O)grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God (P)for His indescribable gift!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.