Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers (A)of Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:
11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your (B)sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.
12 “When you come (C)to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more (D)futile[a] sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and (E)the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your (F)New Moons and your (G)appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 (H)When you [b]spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
(I)Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of [c]blood.
16 “Wash(J) yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
(K)Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke [d]the oppressor;
[e]Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, and let us (L)reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
(M)They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
(N)For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
God the Righteous Judge
A Psalm of Asaph.
50 The (A)Mighty One, God the Lord,
Has spoken and called the earth
From the rising of the sun to its going down.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
(B)God will shine forth.
3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent;
(C)A fire shall devour before Him,
And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
By Faith We Understand
11 Now faith is the [a]substance of things hoped for, the [b]evidence (A)of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that (B)the [c]worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Faithful Abraham(A)
8 By faith (B)Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, (C)dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, (D)the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for (E)the city which has foundations, (F)whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith (G)Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and (H)she[a] bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him (I)faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as (J)dead, were born as many as the (K)stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
The Heavenly Hope
13 These all died in faith, (L)not having received the (M)promises, but (N)having seen them afar off [b]were assured of them, embraced them and (O)confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things (P)declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind (Q)that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed (R)to be called their God, for He has (S)prepared a city for them.
32 “Do not fear, little flock, for (A)it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 (B)Sell what you have and give (C)alms; (D)provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant(E)
35 (F)“Let your waist be girded and (G)your lamps burning; 36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. 37 (H)Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. 38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 (I)But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would [a]have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 (J)Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.