Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 142
A Contemplative Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.
1 I cried unto the Lord with my voice;
with my voice I made my supplication unto the Lord.
2 I poured out my complaint before Him;
I declared to Him my trouble.
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
then You knew my path.
In the way where I walk,
they have laid a snare for me.
4 I looked on my right and noticed,
but there was no one who would care for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cried unto You, O Lord;
I said, “You are my refuge
and my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low;
deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are stronger than me.
7 Bring my soul out of prison,
that I may praise Your name;
the righteous shall surround me,
for You shall deal bountifully with me.
The Day of the Lord Is Near
15 For the day of the Lord is near
upon all the nations;
as you have done, it shall be done to you;
your deeds shall return on your own head.
16 For as you have drunk on My holy mountain,
all the nations shall drink continually;
they shall drink and swallow
and shall be as though they had never been.
17 But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance,
and it shall be holy;
and the house of Jacob shall possess
those who dispossessed them.[a]
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
the house of Joseph a flame,
but the house of Esau stubble;
they shall burn them and consume them,
and there shall be no survivors
from the house of Esau,
for the Lord has spoken.
The Restoration of Israel
19 Those of the Negev shall possess
Mount Esau,
and those of the Shephelah the land
of the Philistines.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of Samaria,
and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 The exiles of this army of the sons of Israel,
shall inherit the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
and the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
shall inherit the cities of the Negev.
21 Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion
to rule Mount Esau,
and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
The Purpose of the Parables(A)
10 The disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered them, “It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For to him who has, will more be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables:
‘Because they look, but do not see.
And they listen, but they do not hear, neither do they understand.’[a]
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:
‘By hearing, you will hear and shall not understand,
and seeing, you will see and shall not perceive;[b]
15 for this people’s heart has grown dull.
Their ears have become hard of hearing,
and they have closed their eyes,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I should heal them.’[c]
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.