Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A song of Asaph.
The Acceptable Sacrifice
50 God, the Lord,[a] has spoken.
He has summoned the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting place.
2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God has shined forth.
3 Our God has appeared and he has not been silent;
a devouring fire blazed before him,
and a mighty storm swirled around him.
4 He summoned the heavens above
and the earth below,[b]
to sit in judgment on his people.
5 “Assemble before me, my saints,
who have entered into my covenant by sacrifice.”
6 The heavens revealed his justice,
for God is himself the judge.
7 “Listen, my people,
for I am making a pronouncement:
Israel, I, God, your God, am testifying against you.
8 I do not rebuke you because of your sacrifices;
indeed, your burnt offerings are continuously before me.
22 Consider this, you who have forgotten God—
Otherwise, I will tear you in pieces
and there will be no deliverer:
23 Whoever offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me,
and I will reveal the salvation of God
to whomever continues in my way.”[a]
Rebellious Judah
2 Listen, you heavens,
and let the[a] earth pay attention,
because the Lord has spoken:
“I reared children
and brought them to adulthood,
but then they rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its master’s feeding trough,
but[b] Israel doesn’t know,
and[c] my people don’t understand.
4 “Oh, you sinful nation!
You people burdened down by iniquity!
You offspring of those who keep practicing what is evil!
You corrupt children!
“They’ve abandoned the Lord;
they’ve despised the Holy One of Israel;
in their estrangement, they’ve walked away from me.[d]
5 “Why will you still be struck down?
Why will you continue to rebel?
Your whole head is sick,
and your whole heart is faint.
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head,
there’s no soundness evident[e]—
only bruises, sores,
and festering wounds
that haven’t been cleaned out,
bandaged, or treated[f] with oil.”
God’s Diagnosis
7 “Your country lies desolate;
your cities have been incinerated.
Before your very eyes,
foreigners are devouring your land—
they’ve brought devastation on it,[g]
while the land is[h] overthrown by foreigners.
8 “The daughter of Zion is left abandoned,
like a booth in a vineyard,
like a hut in a cucumber field,
or like a city under siege.
9 If the Lord of the Heavenly Armies
hadn’t left us a few survivors,
we would be like Sodom;
we would be like Gomorrah.
Diagnosis and Judgment
21 “How the faithful city
has become a whore,
she who used to be filled with justice!
Righteousness used to reside within her,
but now only murderers live there.
22 Your silver has[a] become dross,
your best wine is diluted with water.
23 Your princes are rebels
and companions of thieves.
All of them are lovers of[b] bribes
and are runners[c] after gifts.
They don’t bring justice to orphans,[d]
and the widow’s case never comes up for review in their court.”[e]
Teaching about Treasures(A)
19 “Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, 21 because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The Lamp of the Body(B)
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light within you has turned into darkness, how great is that darkness!”
God and Riches(C)
24 “No one can serve two masters, because either he will hate one and love the other, or be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches!”[a]
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