Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel!
He has taken care of his people and has set them free.
69 He has raised up a mighty Savior[a] for us
from the family of his servant David,
70 just as he promised long ago
through the mouth of his holy prophets
71 that he would save us from our enemies
and from the grip of all who hate us.
72 He has shown mercy to our ancestors
and remembered his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham.
He granted us 74 deliverance from our enemies’ grip
so that we could serve him without fear
75 and be holy and righteous before him all of our days.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way
77 and to give his people knowledge of salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
his light[b] from on high has visited us,
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and in death’s shadow,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
The Judgment of God
5 “I’ll come near to you for judgment. I’ll be a witness, quick to speak against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who defraud the laborer of his wage, against those who defraud[a] the widow and the orphan, against those who deprive the alien of justice, and against those who don’t fear me,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 6 “Because I the Lord don’t change; therefore you children of Jacob aren’t destroyed.”
God’s Sixth Complaint: Against His People—Gifts and Offerings
7 “Ever since the time of your ancestors, you have turned away from my decrees and haven’t kept them. Return to me and I’ll return to you,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. “But you ask, ‘How will we return?’ 8 “Will a person rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “By the tithe and the offering. 9 You are cursed under the curse—the entire nation—because you are robbing me!
10 “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “and see if I won’t throw open the windows[b] of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure. 11 And I’ll prevent the devourer from harming you,[c] so that he does not destroy the crops of your land. Nor will the vines in your fields drop their fruit,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight,” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
The Priority of the Gospel in Everything
12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually caused the gospel to advance. 13 As a result, it has become clear to the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that I am in prison for preaching about[a] the Messiah.[b] 14 Moreover, because of my imprisonment the Lord has caused most of the brothers to become confident to speak God’s word more boldly and courageously than ever before. 15 Some are preaching the Messiah[c] because of jealousy and dissension, while others do so[d] because of their good will. 16 The latter are motivated[e] by love, because they know that I have been appointed to defend the gospel. 17 The former proclaim the Messiah[f] because they are selfishly ambitious and insincere, thinking that they will stir up trouble for me during my imprisonment.
18 But so what? Just this—that in every way, whether by false or true motives, the Messiah[g] is being proclaimed. Because of this, I rejoice and will continue to rejoice.
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