Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Prayer for Protection
43 God, defend me.
·Argue my case [L Vindicate me, O God, and contend for/defend me] against ·those who don’t follow you [L a godless nation].
·Save [Rescue; T Deliver] me from ·liars [deceivers] and those who ·do evil [are unjust].
2 God, you are my ·strength [L refuge].
Why have you rejected me?
Why am I ·sad [L going around in mourning]
and ·troubled [oppressed] by my enemies?
3 Send me your light and ·truth [faithfulness]
to ·guide [lead] me.
Let them ·lead [bring] me to your holy mountain [C Zion, the location of the Temple],
to ·where you live [your dwelling].
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God who is my joy and happiness.
I will praise you with a ·harp [lyre],
God, my God.
5 Why ·am I so sad [L are you downcast, my soul]?
Why ·am I so upset [are you groaning/in an uproar]?
I ·should [or will] ·put my hope in [wait for] God
and ·keep praising [or will again praise] him,
my ·Savior [Victor] and my God.
The Priests Don’t Respect God
6 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says, “A son honors his father [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16], and a ·servant [slave] honors his master.” ·I am a [L If I am your] father, so why don’t you honor me? ·I am a [L If I am your] master, so why don’t you respect me? You priests ·do not respect me [L despise my name].
“But you ask, ‘How have we ·shown you disrespect [L despised your name]?’
7 “You have shown it by bringing ·unclean [defiled] food to my altar.
“But you ask, ‘What makes it ·unclean [defiled]?’
“It is ·unclean [defiled] because you ·don’t respect [treat as contemptible] the altar of the Lord. 8 When you ·bring [offer] blind animals as sacrifices, ·that is [L is that not…?] wrong. When you ·bring [offer] crippled and sick animals, ·that is [L is that not…?] wrong [Lev. 1:3]. Try giving them to your governor. Would he be pleased with you? ·He wouldn’t [L Would he…?] accept you,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
9 “Now ·ask [plead with] God to ·be kind [show favor] to you, but he won’t ·accept [show favor to] you with such offerings,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
10 “I wish one of you would close the Temple doors so that you would not light ·useless [worthless; meaningless] fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you and will not accept ·your gifts [L an offering from your hand],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 11 “From the east to the west ·I [L my name] will be honored among the nations. Everywhere they will bring incense and ·clean [pure; undefiled] offerings to me, because ·I will be honored [L my name will be great] among the nations,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
12 “But you ·don’t honor [profane] me. You say about the Lord’s ·altar [table], ‘It is ·unclean [defiled], and the food ·has no worth [is despicable/contemptible].’ 13 You say, ‘We are tired of doing this,’ and you ·sniff [sneer] at it in disgust,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“And you bring ·hurt [or stolen], crippled, and sick animals as gifts. You bring them as ·gifts [offerings], but I won’t accept them from ·you [L your hands],” says the Lord. 14 “The person who cheats will be cursed. He has a male animal in his flock and promises to offer it, but then he offers to the Lord an animal that ·has something wrong with it [is blemished; Lev. 1:3]. I am a great king,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], “and ·I am [my name is] feared ·by all [among] the nations.
Rules for Priests
2 “Priests, this ·command [warning] is for you. 2 Listen to me. Pay attention to what I say. Honor my name,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. “If you don’t, I will send a curse on you and on your blessings. I have already cursed them, because you don’t ·pay attention to what I say [take my warning to heart].
3 “I will ·punish [discipline; rebuke] your descendants. I will smear your faces with ·the animal insides [offal; entrails; or dung] left from your feasts, and you will be thrown away with it. 4 Then you will know that I am giving you this ·command [warning] so my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with Levi will continue,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 5 “My ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with ·the Levites [L him; C Levi] was to bring life and peace so they would ·honor [fear] me. And they did ·honor [fear] me and ·fear me [L stood in awe of my name; Prov. 1:7]. 6 ·They taught the true teachings [True law/instruction/L Torah was in his mouth] and ·spoke no lies [no iniquity was found on his lips]. With peace and ·honesty [integrity] they ·did what I said they should do [walked with me], and they kept many people from sinning.
7 “·A priest [L The lips of a priest] should ·teach what he knows [preserve/guard knowledge; Deut. 33:10], and people should ·learn the teachings [seek instruction] from ·him [L his mouth], because he is the messenger of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 8 But you priests have ·stopped obeying me [L turned from the way/path]. With your teachings you have caused many people to ·do wrong [stumble]. You have ·broken [corrupted] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with ·the tribe of Levi [L Levi]!” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 9 “You have not been careful to ·do what I say [follow my ways/paths], but instead you ·take sides [show favoritism/partiality] in ·court [legal] cases. So I have caused you to be ·hated [despised] and ·disgraced [humiliated] in front of everybody.”
13 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! [L Because] You ·close [shut; lock] the door for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you ·stop [don’t allow] others who are trying to enter. |14 ·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You ·take away [L devour] widows’ houses, and you say long prayers ·so that people will notice you [as a pretense]. So you will have a worse ·punishment [condemnation].|[a]
15 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to ·find one person who will change to your ways [L make one convert/proseltye]. When you ·find that person [make that convert], you make him ·more fit for hell than [L twice the son of hell/Gehenna that; 5:22] you are.
16 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you! ·You guide the people, but you are blind [L Blind guides!]. You say, ‘If people ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the Temple when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by the gold that is in the Temple, they ·must keep that promise [are obligated/bound].’ 17 You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple that makes that gold ·holy [sacred; sanctified]? 18 And you say, ‘If people ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the altar when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they ·swear [make an oath/vow] by the ·gift [offering] on the altar, they ·must keep that promise [are obligated/bound].’ 19 You are blind! Which is greater: the ·gift [offering] or the altar that makes the gift ·holy [sacred; sanctified]? 20 [L So; Therefore] The person who swears by the altar is really swearing by the altar and also everything on the altar. 21 And the person who swears by the Temple is really swearing by the Temple and the One who ·lives [dwells] in the Temple. 22 The person who swears by heaven is also swearing by God’s throne and the One who sits on that throne.
23 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You ·give to God one-tenth of [pay tithe on] everything you have—even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you ·don’t obey [ignore; neglect] the ·really important teachings [L weightier matters] of the law—justice, mercy, and ·being loyal [faith; faithfulness]. These are the things you should do, ·as well as [without neglecting] those other things. 24 ·You guide the people, but you are blind! [L Blind guides!] You ·are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and then swallows a camel [L strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel; C worrying about the smallest mistakes while committing the biggest sins]!
25 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You ·wash [clean] the outside of your cups and dishes [C for ceremonial purity], but inside they are full of ·things you got by cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves [L greed/robbery and self-indulgence]. 26 Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup[b] clean, and then the outside ·can be truly [or will also be] clean.
27 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, ·teachers of the law [scribes] and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like ·tombs that are painted white [whitewashed tombs]. Outside, those tombs ·look fine [appear beautiful], but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of ·unclean things [filth; corruption; impurity]. 28 It is the same with you. ·People look at you and think you are good [or On the outside you look like righteous people], but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and ·evil [lawlessness].
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