Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 115[a]
115 Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name bring honor,[b]
for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness.[c]
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven.
He does whatever he pleases.[d]
4 Their[e] idols are made of silver and gold—
they are man-made.[f]
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
6 ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell,
7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats.[g]
8 Those who make them will end up[h] like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[i] and protector.[j]
10 O family[k] of Aaron, trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[l] and protector.[m]
11 You loyal followers of the Lord,[n] trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[o] and protector.[p]
12 The Lord takes notice of us;[q] he will bless[r]—
he will bless the family[s] of Israel,
he will bless the family of Aaron.
13 He will bless his loyal followers,[t]
both young and old.[u]
14 May he increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s.[v]
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Creator[w] of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens belong to the Lord,[x]
but the earth he has given to mankind.[y]
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death.[z]
18 But we will praise the Lord
now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
A Child is Born for a Sign
8 The Lord told me, “Take a large tablet[a] and inscribe these words[b] on it with an ordinary stylus:[c] ‘Maher Shalal Hash Baz.’[d] 2 Then I will summon[e] as my reliable witnesses Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah.” 3 I then approached the prophetess for marital relations;[f] she conceived and gave birth to a son. The Lord told me, “Name him Maher Shalal Hash Baz, 4 for before the child knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.”[g]
5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 “These people[h] have rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah[i] and melt in fear over Rezin and the son of Remaliah.[j] 7 So look, the Lord[k] is bringing up against them the turbulent and mighty waters of the Euphrates River[l]—the king of Assyria and all his majestic power. It will reach flood stage and overflow its banks.[m] 8 It will spill into Judah, flooding and engulfing, as it reaches to the necks of its victims. He will spread his wings out over your entire land,[n] O Immanuel.”[o]
9 You will be broken,[p] O nations;
you will be shattered![q]
Pay attention, all you distant lands of the earth.
Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered!
Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered![r]
10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted.
Issue your orders, but they will not be executed![s]
For God is with us![t]
The Lord Encourages Isaiah
11 Indeed this is what the Lord told me quite forcefully.[u] He warned me not to act like these people:[v]
12 “Do not say, ‘Conspiracy,’ every time these people say the word.[w]
Don’t be afraid of what scares them; don’t be terrified.
13 You must recognize the authority of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[x]
He is the one you must respect;
he is the one you must fear.[y]
14 He will become a sanctuary,[z]
but a stone that makes a person trip,
and a rock that makes one stumble—
to the two houses of Israel.[aa]
He will become[ab] a trap and a snare
to the residents of Jerusalem.
15 Many will stumble over the stone and the rock,[ac]
and will fall and be seriously injured,
and will be ensnared and captured.”
The Call of Levi; Eating with Sinners
27 After[a] this, Jesus[b] went out and saw a tax collector[c] named Levi[d] sitting at the tax booth.[e] “Follow me,”[f] he said to him. 28 And he got up and followed him, leaving everything[g] behind.[h]
29 Then[i] Levi gave a great banquet[j] in his house for Jesus,[k] and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others sitting[l] at the table with them. 30 But[m] the Pharisees[n] and their experts in the law[o] complained[p] to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”[q] 31 Jesus[r] answered them, “Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do.[s] 32 I have not come[t] to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”[u]
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