Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A prayer of David.[a]
17 Lord, hear my prayer for justice.
I am calling loudly to you.
I am being honest in what I say,
so please listen to my prayer.
2 You will make the right decision,
because you can see the truth.
3 You were with me all night
and looked deep into my heart.
You questioned me and found that
I did not say or do anything wrong.
4 Unlike most people, I have obeyed your commands,
so I have never been like those who are cruel and evil.
5 I have followed your way.
My feet never left your path.
6 Every time I call to you, God, you answer me.
So listen to me now, and hear what I say.
7 Show your amazing kindness
and rescue those who depend on you.
Use your great power
and protect them from their enemies.
8 Protect me like the pupil[b] of your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
9 Save me from the wicked people who are trying to destroy me.
Protect me from those who come to hurt me.
10 They think only of themselves
and brag about what they will do.
11 They have been following me,
and now they are all around me.
They watch me, waiting to throw me to the ground.
12 Like hungry lions, they want to kill and eat.
Like young lions, they hide, ready to attack.
13 Lord, get up[c] and face the enemy.
Make them surrender.
Use your sword and save me from these wicked people.
14 Use your power, Lord,
and remove them from this life.
But as for the people you treasure,
fill them with food.
Give them plenty for their children and their grandchildren.
15 I have done only what is right, so I will see your face.
And seeing you,[d] I will be fully satisfied.
The High Priest
3 The angel showed me Joshua the high priest, standing in front of the angel of the Lord and Satan was standing by Joshua’s right side. Satan was there to accuse Joshua of doing wrong. 2 Then the angel of the Lord said, “The Lord says that you are wrong, and he will continue to correct you! The Lord has chosen Jerusalem to be his special city. He saved that city—it was like a burning stick pulled from the fire.”
3 Joshua was wearing a dirty robe as he stood in front of the angel. 4 Then the angel said to the other angels standing near him, “Take those dirty clothes off Joshua.” Then the angel spoke to Joshua. He said, “Now, I have taken away your guilt, and I am giving you a new change of clothes.”
5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put the clean turban on him and also put clean clothes on him while the Lord’s angel stood there. 6 Then the Lord’s angel said this to Joshua:
7 This is what the Lord All-Powerful said:
“Live the way I tell you,
and do everything I say.
And you will be in charge of my Temple.
You will take care of its courtyard.
You will be free to go anywhere in my Temple,
just as these angels standing here.
8 Listen, Joshua, you who are the high priest,
and listen, you fellow priests seated before him.
You are all examples to show what will happen when I bring my special servant.
He is called, the Branch.
9 Look, I put a special stone in front of Joshua.
There are seven sides[a] on that stone.
I will carve a special message on it.
This will show that in one day, I will remove the guilt from this land.”
10 The Lord All-Powerful says,
“At that time people will sit and talk
with their friends and neighbors.
They will invite each other to sit
under the fig trees and grapevines.”
4 When angels sinned, God did not let them go free without punishment. He sent them to hell. He put those angels in caves of darkness, where they are being held until the time when God will judge them.
5 And God punished the evil people who lived long ago. He brought a flood to the world that was full of people who were against God. But he saved Noah and seven other people with him. Noah was a man who told people about living right.
6 God also punished the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He burned them until there was nothing left but ashes. He used those cities as an example of what will happen to people who are against God. 7 But he saved Lot, a good man who lived there. Lot was greatly troubled by the morally bad lives of those evil people. 8 This good man lived with those evil people every day, and his good heart was hurt by the evil things he saw and heard.
9 So you see that the Lord God knows how to save those who are devoted to him. He will save them when troubles come. And the Lord will hold evil people to punish them on the day of judgment. 10 That punishment is for those who are always doing the evil that their sinful selves want to do. It is for those who hate the Lord’s authority.
These false teachers do whatever they want, and they are so proud of themselves. They are not afraid even to say bad things against the glorious ones.[a] 11 The angels are much stronger and more powerful than these beings. But even the angels don’t accuse them and say bad things about them to the Lord.
12 But these false teachers speak evil against what they don’t understand. They are like animals that do things without really thinking—like wild animals that are born to be caught and killed. And, like wild animals, they will be destroyed. 13 They have made many people suffer. So they themselves will suffer. That is their pay for what they have done.
They think it is fun to do evil where everyone can see them. They enjoy the evil things that please them. So they are like dirty spots and stains among you—they bring shame to you in the meals you eat together. 14 Every time they look at a woman, they want her. They are always sinning this way. And they lead weaker people into the trap of sin. They have taught themselves well to be greedy. They are under a curse.[b]
15 These false teachers left the right way and went the wrong way. They followed the same way that the prophet Balaam went. He was the son of Beor, who loved being paid for doing wrong. 16 But a donkey told him that he was doing wrong. A donkey cannot talk, of course, but that donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the prophet from acting so crazy.
17 These false teachers are like springs that have no water. They are like clouds that are blown by a storm. A place in the deepest darkness has been kept for them. 18 They boast with words that mean nothing. They lead people into the trap of sin. They find people who have just escaped from a wrong way of life and lead them back into sin. They do this by using the evil things people want to do in their human weakness. 19 These false teachers promise those people freedom, but they themselves are not free. They are slaves to a mind that has been ruined by sin. Yes, people are slaves to anything that controls them.
20 People can be made free from the evil in the world. They can be made free by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they go back into those evil things and are controlled by them, then it is worse for them than it was before. 21 Yes, it would be better for them to have never known the right way. That would be better than to know the right way and then to turn away from the holy teaching that was given to them.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International