Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
1 This is the vision Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem ·while [L in the days when] Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah [792–686 bc].
10 ·Hear [Listen to] the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom [C Jerusalem is compared sarcastically to evil Sodom and Gomorrah]!
listen to the ·teaching [instruction] of our God,
You people of Gomorrah!
11 The Lord says,
“·I do not want all these sacrifices [L What are your many sacrifices to me?].
I ·have had enough of [am stuffed full with] your burnt sacrifices [Lev. 1:1–17]
of male sheep and fat from ·fine [fattened] ·animals [beasts; cattle].
I ·am not pleased by [take no pleasure in]
the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.
12 You ·come to meet with [appear before; worship] me,
but who asked you to do
all this ·running in and out of [trampling/parading through] my ·Temple’s rooms [courts; courtyards]?
13 Don’t continue bringing me ·worthless [meaningless; futile] sacrifices!
·I hate the incense you burn [L Incense is detestable/an abomination to me].
I can’t stand your New Moons, Sabbaths, and ·other feast days [convocations; sacred assemblies];
I can’t ·stand [endure] ·the evil you do in your holy meetings [L sin and assembly].
14 I hate your New Moon ·feasts [festivals; Num. 28:11–15]
and your ·other yearly [annual; appointed] feasts.
They have become a ·heavy weight on [burden to] me,
and I ·am tired of carrying it [or can no longer tolerate them].
15 When you ·raise your arms to me [L spread out your hands] in prayer,
I will ·refuse to look at [look the other way; L hide my eyes from] you.
Even if you say many prayers,
I will not listen to you,
because your hands are ·full of [covered with] blood.
16 Wash yourselves and make yourselves clean.
·Stop doing the evil things I see you do [L Take away your evil deeds from my eyes].
Stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do ·good [right].
Seek justice.
·Punish those who hurt others [Rebuke the oppressor; or Encourage the oppressed].
·Help [Defend; Bring justice to] the ·orphans [fatherless].
·Stand up for the rights of [L Contend/Strive for] widows.”
18 The Lord says,
“Come, let us ·talk about these things [reason together; or settle this matter; or consider your options].
Though your sins are like scarlet [C stained with blood; vv. 15, 21],
they can be as white as snow.
Though your sins are ·deep red [L red as crimson/purple],
they can be white like wool.
19 If you become willing and ·obey [listen to] me,
you will eat ·good crops from [the good of] the land.
20 But if you ·refuse to obey [resist] and ·if you turn against me [rebel],
you will be ·destroyed [L devoured] by your enemies’ swords [C the options are to eat the crops or be eaten by the swords].”
The Lord himself ·said these things [has spoken].
God Wants True Worship
A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
50 The God of gods, the Lord, speaks.
He ·calls [proclaims to; summons] the earth from the rising to the setting sun.
2 God shines from ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple],
·whose beauty is perfect [L the perfection of beauty; 48:2; Lam. 2:15].
3 Our God comes, and he will not be silent.
A fire ·burns [consumes] in front of him [Heb. 12:29],
and a ·powerful storm [whirlwind; tempest] surrounds him [Is. 66:15].
4 He ·calls to [summons] the ·sky [heavens] above and to the earth
that he might judge his people.
5 He says, “Gather around, you ·who worship me [holy ones; saints],
who have made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with me, using a sacrifice [Ex. 24:5–8].”
6 God is the judge,
and even the ·skies say he is right [heavens proclaim his righteousness]. ·
7 God says, “My people, listen to me;
Israel, I will ·testify [witness] against you.
I am God, your God.
8 I do not ·scold [reprimand; rebuke] you for your sacrifices.
You always bring me your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17].
22 “·Think about [Understand] this, you who forget God.
Otherwise, I will tear you apart,
and no one will ·save [protect] you.
23 Those people ·honor [glorify] me
who bring me ·offerings to show thanks [thank offerings; v. 14].
And I, God, will save those who ·do that [L go on my way/path].”
What Is Faith?
11 Faith means ·being sure [the assurance; or the tangible reality; or the sure foundation] of the things we hope for and ·knowing that something is real even if we do not see it [the conviction/assurance/evidence about things not seen]. 2 Faith is the reason ·we remember [or God commended/approved] ·great people who lived in the past [the people of old; the ancients; our spiritual ancestors].
3 It is by faith we understand that the ·whole world [universe; cosmos; ages] was made by God’s ·command [word; Gen. 1] so what we see was ·made by something that cannot be seen [L not made from/by visible things].
8 It was by faith Abraham obeyed God’s call to go to another place ·God promised to give him [L he would later receive as an inheritance; Gen. 12:1–4, 7]. He left his own country, not knowing where he was ·to go [going]. 9 It was by faith that he lived like a ·foreigner [stranger; resident alien] in the ·country God promised to give him [Promised Land]. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who ·had received [were co-heirs of] that same promise from God. 10 [L For] Abraham was waiting for the city [C the heavenly Jerusalem, symbolic of the presence of God; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 21:2] that has real foundations—the city ·planned and built by [L whose architect/designer and builder is] God.
11 ·He was too old to have children, and Sarah [or Sarah was too old and] ·could not have children [was barren/sterile]. It was by faith that ·Abraham was made able to become a father, because he [or Sarah was made able to bear children, because she] ·trusted God [L considered God faithful/trustworthy] to do what he had promised[a] [Gen. 21:2]. 12 This man was so old he was ·almost [as good as] dead, but from ·him [L one man] ·came [L were fathered/T begotten] as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. Like the sand on the seashore, they could not be counted [Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 32:12].
13 All these great people died in faith. They did not ·get [receive] the things that God promised his people, but they saw them ·coming far in the future [L from afar] and ·were glad [welcomed/greeted them]. They ·said [acknowledged/recognized that] they were like ·strangers [foreigners] and ·visitors [sojourners; refugees; resident aliens] on earth. 14 When people say such things, they show they are looking for a ·country that will be their own [homeland]. 15 If they had been thinking about the country they had left, they ·could have gone back [L would have had an opportunity to return]. 16 But [as it is; L now] they were ·waiting [desiring; longing] for a better country—a heavenly one. So God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them.
Don’t Trust in Money
32 “Don’t fear, little flock, because your Father ·wants [is glad/pleased] to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give ·to the poor [alms]. ·Get [Make] for yourselves ·purses [moneybags] that will not wear out, the treasure in heaven that never ·runs out [fails you], where thieves can’t ·steal [L come near] and moths can’t destroy. 34 ·Your heart will be where your treasure is [L For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also; Matt. 6:19–21].
Always Be Ready(A)
35 “·Be dressed, ready for service [T Let your loins be girded; C tucking garments into the waist belt to allow swift movement; a metaphor for preparedness], and have your lamps ·shining [burning; lit]. 36 Be like ·servants [L people] who are waiting for their ·master [lord] to come home from a wedding party. When he comes and knocks, the servants immediately open the door for him. 37 ·They [L Those servants/slaves] will be ·blessed [happy; or rewarded] when their ·master [lord] comes home, because he sees that they were ·watching [alert; awake] for him. I tell you the truth, the master will dress himself to serve and tell the servants to ·sit at the table [recline; C the posture for a banquet or dinner party; see 7:36], and he will ·serve [wait on] them [C a radical reversal in a culture where a master would never wait on a slave]. 38 Those servants will be ·blessed [happy; or rewarded] when he comes in and finds them ·still waiting [L thus; C alert and ready], even ·if it is midnight or later [L even in the second or third watches; C between 9 PM and 3 AM (by Roman reckoning)].
39 “·Remember [Know] this: If the owner of the house knew what time a thief was coming, he would not allow the thief to ·enter [break into] his house. 40 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] will come at a time when you don’t expect him!”
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