Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Deliverance from the Treacherous.
A Song of [a]Ascents.
11 For thus says the Lord in regard to [a](A)Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they led him captive, there he will (B)die and not see this land again.
Messages about the Kings
13 “Woe to him who builds his house (C)without righteousness
And his [b]upper rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And (D)does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will (E)build myself a roomy house
With spacious [c]upper rooms,
And cut out its windows,
[d]Paneling it with (F)cedar and painting it [e]bright red.’
15 “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
And (G)do justice and righteousness?
Then it was (H)well with him.
16 “He pled the cause of the (I)afflicted and needy;
Then it was well.
(J)Is not that what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own (K)dishonest gain,
And on (L)shedding innocent blood
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”
Woes upon the Pharisees
37 Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee *asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first [a](A)ceremonially washed before the [b]meal. 39 But (B)the Lord said to him, “Now (C)you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but [c]inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. 40 (D)You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But (E)give that which is within as charity, and [d]then all things are (F)clean for you.
42 “(G)But woe to you Pharisees! For you (H)pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you (I)love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. 44 (J)Woe to you! For you are like [e]concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
45 One of the [f](K)lawyers *said to Him in reply, “Teacher, when You say this, You insult us too.” 46 But He said, “Woe to you (L)lawyers as well! For (M)you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, [g]while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 47 (N)Woe to you! For you build the [h]tombs of the prophets, and it was your fathers who killed them. 48 So you are witnesses and approve the deeds of your fathers; because it was they who killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 For this reason also (O)the wisdom of God said, ‘(P)I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and some they will [i]persecute, 50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed (Q)since the foundation of the world, may be [j]charged against this generation, 51 from (R)the blood of Abel to (S)the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be [k]charged against this generation.’ 52 Woe to you [l](T)lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; (U)you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.