Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
23 People of Zion, be glad and find joy in the Lord your God.
The Lord has given you the Teacher of Righteousness.[a]
He has sent the autumn rain and the spring rain as before.
24 The threshing floors [b] will be filled with grain.
The vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
25 “Then I will repay you for the years
that the mature locusts, the adult locusts,
the grasshoppers, and the young locusts ate your crops.
(They are the large army that I sent against you.)
26 You will have plenty to eat, and you will be full.
You will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has performed miracles for you.
My people will never be ashamed again.
27 You will know that I am in Israel.
I am the Lord your God, and there is no other.
My people will never be ashamed again.[c]
The Lord Will Pour His Spirit on All People
28 “After this, I will pour my Spirit on everyone.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions.
29 In those days I will pour my Spirit on servants,
on both men and women.
30 I will work miracles in the sky and on the earth:
blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
31 The sun will become dark,
and the moon will become as red as blood before the terrifying day of the Lord comes.”
32 Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Those who escape will be on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem.
Among the survivors will be those whom the Lord calls,
as the Lord has promised.
For the choir director; a psalm by David; a song.
65 You are praised with silence in Zion, O God,
and vows ⌞made⌟ to you must be kept.
2 You are the one who hears prayers.
Everyone will come to you.
3 Various sins overwhelm me.
You are the one who forgives our rebellious acts.
4 Blessed is the person you choose
and invite to live with you in your courtyards.
We will be filled with good food from your house,
from your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awe-inspiring acts ⌞done⌟ in righteousness,
O God, our savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the most distant sea,
6 the one who set the mountains in place with his strength,
the one who is clothed with power,
7 the one who calms the roar of the seas,
their crashing waves,
and the uproar of the nations.
8 Those who live at the ends of the earth are in awe of your miraculous signs.
The lands of the morning sunrise and evening sunset sing joyfully.
9 You take care of the earth, and you water it.
You make it much richer than it was.
(The river of God is filled with water.)
You provide grain for them.
Indeed, you even prepare the ground.
10 You drench plowed fields ⌞with rain⌟
and level their clumps of soil.
You soften them with showers
and bless what grows in them.
11 You crown the year with your goodness,
and richness overflows wherever you are.
12 The pastures in the desert overflow ⌞with richness⌟.
The hills are surrounded with joy.
13 The pastures are covered with flocks.
The valleys are carpeted with grain.
All of them shout triumphantly. Indeed, they sing.
6 My life is coming to an end, and it is now time for me to be poured out as a sacrifice to God. 7 I have fought the good fight. I have completed the race. I have kept the faith. 8 The prize that shows I have God’s approval is now waiting for me. The Lord, who is a fair judge, will give me that prize on that day. He will give it not only to me but also to everyone who is eagerly waiting for him to come again.
16 At my first hearing no one stood up in my defense. Everyone abandoned me. I pray that it won’t be held against them. 17 However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that I could finish spreading the Good News for all the nations to hear. I was snatched out of a lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from all harm and will take me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen.
A Pharisee and a Tax Collector
9 Jesus also used this illustration with some who were sure that God approved of them while they looked down on everyone else. 10 He said, “Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people! I’m not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven’t committed adultery. I’m not even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.’
13 “But the tax collector was standing at a distance. He wouldn’t even look up to heaven. Instead, he became very upset, and he said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 “I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with God’s approval, but the Pharisee didn’t. Everyone who honors himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be honored.”
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