Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
21 O Sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation.[a]
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me.[b]
23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day;[c]
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 I am so starved my knees shake;[d]
I have turned into skin and bones.[e]
25 I am disdained by them.[f]
When they see me, they shake their heads.[g]
26 Help me, O Lord my God.
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me.[h]
27 Then they will realize[i] this is your work,[j]
and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
28 They curse, but you will bless.[k]
When they attack, they will be humiliated,[l]
but your servant will rejoice.
29 My accusers will be covered[m] with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
30 I will thank the Lord profusely.[n]
In the middle of a crowd[o] I will praise him,
31 because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to deliver him from those who threaten[p] his life.
18 “‘But I said to their children[a] in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations,[b] nor defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. 20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy[c] and they will be a reminder of our relationship,[d] and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” 21 But the children[e] rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys[f] them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out[g] my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I refrained from doing so[h] and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 I also swore[i] to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.[j] 24 I did this[k] because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on[l] their fathers’ idols. 25 I also gave[m] them decrees[n] that were not good and regulations by which they could not live. 26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices[o]—they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire[p]—so that I might devastate them, so that they would know that I am the Lord.’[q]
27 “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. 28 I brought them to the land that I swore[r] to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoked me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings. 29 So I said to them, “What is this high place you go to?”’ (So it is called “High Place”[s] to this day.)
30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers[t] and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? 31 When you present your sacrifices[u]—when you make your sons pass through the fire—you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me,[v] O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me![w]
32 “‘What you plan[x] will never happen. You say, “We will be[y] like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.”[z]
To the Church in Philadelphia
7 “To[a] the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following:[b]
“This is the solemn pronouncement of[c] the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors[d] no one can shut, and shuts doors[e] no one can open: 8 ‘I know your deeds. (Look! I have put[f] in front of you an open door that no one can shut.)[g] I know[h] that you have little strength,[i] but[j] you have obeyed[k] my word and have not denied my name. 9 Listen![l] I am going to make those people from the synagogue[m] of Satan—who say they are Jews yet[n] are not, but are lying—Look, I will make[o] them come and bow down[p] at your feet and acknowledge[q] that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept[r] my admonition[s] to endure steadfastly,[t] I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one can take away[u] your crown.[v] 12 The one who conquers[w] I will make[x] a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I[y] will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God),[z] and my new name as well. 13 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
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