Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
An Ideal King Establishes a Kingdom of Peace
11 A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s[a] root stock,
a bud will sprout[b] from his roots.
2 The Lord’s Spirit will rest on him[c]—
a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,[d]
a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,[e]
a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.[f]
3 He will take delight in obeying the Lord.[g]
He will not judge by mere appearances,[h]
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.[i]
4 He will treat the poor fairly,[j]
and make right decisions[k] for the downtrodden of the earth.[l]
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,[m]
and order the wicked to be executed.[n]
5 Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips.[o]
6 A wolf will reside[p] with a lamb,
and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;
an ox and a young lion will graze together,[q]
as a small child leads them along.
7 A cow and a bear will graze together,
their young will lie down together.[r]
A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.
8 A baby[s] will play
over the hole of a snake;[t]
over the nest[u] of a serpent
an infant[v] will put his hand.[w]
9 They will no longer injure or destroy
on my entire royal mountain.[x]
For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,
just as the waters completely cover the sea.[y]
8 As for you, watchtower for the flock,[a]
fortress of Daughter Zion[b]—
your former dominion will be restored,[c]
the sovereignty that belongs to Daughter Jerusalem.”
9 Jerusalem, why are you[d] now shouting so loudly?[e]
Has your king disappeared?[f]
Has your wise leader[g] been destroyed?
Is this why[h] pain grips[i] you as if you were a woman in labor?
10 Twist and strain,[j] Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor!
For you will leave the city
and live in the open field.
You will go to Babylon,
but there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will deliver[k] you
from the power[l] of your enemies.
11 Many nations have now assembled against you.
They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated,[m]
so we can gloat over Zion!”[n]
12 But they do not know what the Lord is planning;
they do not understand his strategy.
He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed[o] at the threshing floor.
13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion!
For I will give you iron horns;[p]
I will give you bronze hooves,
and you will crush many nations.”[q]
You will devote to the Lord the spoils you take from them
and dedicate their wealth to the sovereign Ruler[r] of the whole earth.[s]
31 “To what then should I compare the people[a] of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace[b] and calling out to one another,[c]
‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance;[d]
we wailed in mourning,[e] yet you did not weep.’
33 For John the Baptist has come[f] eating no bread and drinking no wine,[g] and you say, ‘He has a demon!’[h] 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him,[i] a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’[j] 35 But wisdom is vindicated[k] by all her children.”[l]
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