Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Rejoicing in Answered Prayer

A Psalm of David.

Prophecy of the Shepherds

⁴ Thus says the Lord my God, “Feed the flock for slaughter, ⁵ whose owners slaughter them and ^(A)feel no guilt; those who sell them ^(B)say, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for I am rich’; and their shepherds do ^(C)not pity them. ⁶ For I will no longer pity the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord. “But indeed I will give everyone into his neighbor’s hand and into the hand of his king. They shall ^[a]attack the land, and I will not deliver them from their hand.”

⁷ So I fed the flock for slaughter, ^[b]in particular ^(D)the poor of the flock. I took for myself two staffs: the one I called ^[c]Beauty, and the other I called ^[d]Bonds; and I fed the flock. ⁸ I ^[e]dismissed the three shepherds ^(E)in one month. My soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. ⁹ Then I said, “I will not feed you. ^(F)Let what is dying die, and what is perishing perish. Let those that are left eat each other’s flesh.” ¹⁰ And I took my staff, ^[f]Beauty, and cut it in two, that I might break the covenant which I had made with all the peoples. ¹¹ So it was broken on that day. Thus ^(G)the^[g] poor of the flock, who were watching me, knew that it was the word of the Lord. ¹² Then I said to them, “If it is ^[h]agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they ^(H)weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

¹³ And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the ^(I)potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. ¹⁴ Then I cut in two my other staff, ^[i]Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ And the Lord said to me, ^(J)“Next, take for yourself the implements of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶ For indeed I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those who are cut off, nor seek the young, nor heal those that are broken, nor feed those that still stand. But he will eat the flesh of the fat and tear their hooves in ^(K)pieces.

Heaven Exults over Babylon

19 After these things ^(A)I ^[a]heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! ^(B)Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to ^[b]the Lord our God! ² For ^(C)true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He ^(D)has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” ³ Again they said, “Alleluia! ^(E)Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” ⁴ And ^(F)the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, ^(G)“Amen! Alleluia!” ⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying, ^(H)“Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, ^(I)both^[c] small and great!”

^6 (J)And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For ^(K)the^[d] Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for ^(L)the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” ⁸ And ^(M)to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, ^(N)for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Write: ^(O)‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, ^(P)“These are the true sayings of God.”