Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Woe to the Complacent
6 Woe to those who are at ease in Zion(A)
and to those who feel secure on the hill of Samaria—
the notable people in this first of the nations,
those the house of Israel comes to.
4 They lie on beds inlaid with ivory,(A)
sprawled out on their couches,(B)
and dine on lambs from the flock(C)
and calves from the stall.
5 They improvise songs[a] to the sound of the harp(D)
and invent[b] their own musical instruments like David.(E)
6 They drink wine by the bowlful(F)
and anoint themselves with the finest oils
but do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.(G)
7 Therefore, they will now go into exile
as the first of the captives,(H)
and the feasting(I) of those who sprawl out
will come to an end.
Psalm 146
The God of Compassion
1 Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.(A)
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.(B)
3 Do not trust in nobles,
in a son of man,[a] who cannot save.(C)
4 When his breath[b] leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.(D)
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,(E)
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.(F)
He remains faithful forever,(G)
7 executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.(H)
The Lord frees prisoners.(I)
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.(J)
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.[c](K)
The Lord loves the righteous.(L)
9 The Lord protects resident aliens
and helps the fatherless and the widow,(M)
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.(N)
10 The Lord reigns forever;
Zion, your God reigns for all generations.(O)
Hallelujah!
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.(A) 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and[a] we can take nothing out.(B) 8 If we have food and clothing,[b] we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root[c] of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith(C) and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Fight the Good Fight
11 But you, man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,(D) endurance,(E) and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight(F) of the faith. Take hold of eternal life(G) to which you were called and about which you have made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all,(H) and of Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate,(I) I charge you 14 to keep this command without fault or failure until the appearing(J) of our Lord(K) Jesus Christ. 15 God will bring this about in his own time.(L) He is the blessed and only(M) Sovereign, the King of kings,(N) and the Lord of lords,(O) 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light,(P) whom no one has seen or can see,(Q) to him be honor and eternal power.(R) Amen.(S)
Instructions to the Rich
17 Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant(T) or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God,[d] who richly provides us with all things(U) to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works,(V) to be generous and willing to share,(W) 19 storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age,(X) so that they may take hold of what is truly life.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen,(A) feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate.(B) 21 He longed to be filled(C) with what fell from the rich man’s table,(D) but instead the dogs(E) would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.[a](F) The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment(G) in Hades,(H) he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’(I) he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony(J) in this flame!’
25 “‘Son,’[b] Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things,(K) just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here,(L) while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
27 “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn(M) them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;(N) they should listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”(O)
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