Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To You I Lift Up My Eyes

A Song of Ascents.

Yahweh Raises Up Judges

^16 (A)Then Yahweh raised up judges ^[a]who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them. ¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges either, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way ^(B)in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of Yahweh; they did not do as their fathers. ¹⁸ Now when Yahweh raised up judges for them, ^(C)Yahweh was with the judge and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for Yahweh was ^(D)moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and suppressed them. ¹⁹ But it happened when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. ^20 (E)So the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has trespassed against My covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not listened to My voice, ^21 (F)I also will no longer dispossess before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, ²² in order to ^(G)test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of Yahweh to walk in it as their fathers ^[b]did, or not.” ²³ So Yahweh allowed those nations to rest, not dispossessing them quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

⁸ And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon ^(A)the sun, ^(B)and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. ⁹ And men were scorched with ^[a]fierce heat, and they ^(C)blasphemed the name of God who has the authority over these plagues, and they ^(D)did not repent so as to ^(E)give Him glory.

¹⁰ Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the ^(F)throne of the beast, and his kingdom became ^(G)darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, ¹¹ and they ^(H)blasphemed the ^(I)God of heaven because of their pains and their ^(J)sores, and they ^(K)did not repent of their deeds.

¹² And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the ^(L)great river, the Euphrates, and ^(M)its water was dried up, so that ^(N)the way would be prepared for the kings ^(O)from the ^[b]east. ¹³ Then I saw coming out of the mouth of the ^(P)dragon and out of the mouth of the ^(Q)beast and out of the mouth of the ^(R)false prophet, three ^(S)unclean spirits like ^(T)frogs; ¹⁴ for they are ^(U)spirits of demons, ^(V)doing signs, which go out to the kings of the ^(W)whole ^[c]world, to ^(X)gather them together for the war of the ^(Y)great day of God, the Almighty. ¹⁵ (“Behold, ^(Z)I am coming like a thief. ^(AA)Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, ^(AB)so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) ¹⁶ And they ^(AC)gathered them together to the place which ^(AD)in Hebrew is called ^[d](AE)Har-Magedon.

The Seventh Bowl

¹⁷ Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon ^(AF)the air, and a ^(AG)loud voice came out of the ^(AH)sanctuary from the throne, saying, “^(AI)It is done.” ¹⁸ And there were flashes of ^(AJ)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was ^(AK)a great earthquake, ^(AL)such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. ^19 (AM)And the great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the ^[e]nations fell. ^(AN)Babylon the great was ^(AO)remembered before God, to give her ^(AP)the cup of the wine of the wrath of His rage. ²⁰ And ^(AQ)every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. ²¹ And ^(AR)huge ^[f]hailstones, about one ^[g]talent each, *came down from heaven upon men; and men ^(AS)blasphemed God because of the ^(AT)plague of the hail, because its plague *was extremely ^[h]severe.