Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 23^[a]

Prayer to the Good Shepherd

¹ A psalm of David.

Chapter 34^[a]

The Shepherds of Israel.^{[b] 1} This word of the Lord came to me: ² Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to you shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves. Should not shepherds rather feed their flock?

³ You have fed on their milk, you have clothed yourselves with their wool, and you have slaughtered the fatlings, but you have not fed the sheep. ⁴ You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, and you have not bandaged those who were injured. Nor have you bothered to bring back those who strayed or searched for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them with cruelty and harshness.

⁵ Therefore, they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and thus they became the prey of all the wild beasts. ⁶ My sheep were scattered, wandering aimlessly over all the mountains and on every high hill. My flock has been scattered over the entire world, with no one to inquire about them or search for them.

⁷ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As I live, says the Lord God, because my sheep are without a shepherd and thus have been ravaged and have become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds have not gone forth in search of my sheep, but have fed themselves and not been concerned about feeding my sheep, ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord.

¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God: I intend to punish the shepherds. I will remove the sheep from their charge and not allow them to feed the flock. As a result, the shepherds will no longer be able to feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths so that they will no longer use them for their food.

^11 [c]For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd goes forth in search of his flocks when they are scattered from him in every direction, so I will go forth in search of my sheep. I will retrieve them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

¹³ I will bring them back from among the peoples and gather them from foreign lands, I will lead them back to their own land and pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited areas of the country. ¹⁴ I will feed them in fertile pastures, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing grounds. There they will lie down on good grazing land and feed in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel.

¹⁵ I, myself, will pasture my sheep, and I, myself, will give them rest, says the Lord God. ¹⁶ I will search for those who are lost; I will bring back those who have strayed away. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong, I will destroy. I will shepherd my flock with justice.

Salvation—Joy and Torment of God^[a]

Chapter 15

This Man Receives Sinners.^{[b] 1} Now the tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus, ² and the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

The Parable of the Lost Sheep.^{[c] 3} Therefore, he told them this parable: ⁴ “Which one of you, if you have a hundred sheep and lose one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he does find it, he lays it on his shoulders joyfully. ⁶ Then, when he returns home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.