Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A psalm of David.
28 Lord, my Rock, I call out to you.
Pay attention to me.
If you remain silent, I will die.
I will be like those who go down into the grave.
2 Hear my cry for your favor
when I call out to you for help.
Hear me when I lift up my hands in prayer
toward your Most Holy Room.
3 Don’t drag me away with sinners.
Don’t drag me away with those who do evil.
They speak in a friendly way to their neighbors.
But their hearts are full of hate.
4 Pay them back for their evil actions.
Pay them back for what their hands have done.
Give them exactly what they should get.
5 They don’t care about the Lord’s mighty acts.
They don’t care about what his hands have done.
So he will tear them down.
He will never build them up again.
6 Give praise to the Lord.
He has heard my cry for his favor.
7 The Lord gives me strength. He is like a shield that keeps me safe.
My heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart jumps for joy.
With my song I praise him.
8 The Lord gives strength to his people.
He guards and saves his anointed king.
9 Save your people. Bless those who belong to you.
Be their shepherd. Take care of them forever.
The Two Shepherds
4 The Lord my God says, “Take care of the sheep that are set apart to be sacrificed. 5 Those who buy them kill them. And they are not punished for it. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord! We’re rich!’ And their own shepherds do not spare them. 6 I will no longer have pity on the people in the land,” announces the Lord. “I will hand all of them over to their neighbors and their king. They will destroy the land. And I will not save anyone from their power.”
7 So I took care of the sheep set apart to be sacrificed. I took special care of those that had been treated badly. Then I got two shepherd’s staffs. I called one of them Favor. I called the other one Union. And I took care of the flock. 8 In one month I got rid of three worthless shepherds.
The sheep hated me, and I got tired of them. 9 So I said, “I won’t be your shepherd anymore. Let those of you who are dying die. Let those who are passing away pass away. Let those who are left eat one another up.”
10 Then I got my staff called Favor. I broke it. That meant the covenant the Lord had made with all the nations was broken. 11 It happened that day. The sheep that had been treated badly were watching me. They knew it was the Lord’s message.
12 I told them, “If you think it is best, give me my pay. But if you don’t think so, keep it.” So they paid me 30 silver coins.
13 The Lord said to me, “Throw those coins to the potter.” That amount shows how little they valued me! So I threw the 30 silver coins to the potter at the Lord’s temple.
14 Then I broke my second staff called Union. That broke the family connection between Judah and Israel.
15 The Lord said to me, “Now pretend to be a foolish shepherd. Get the things you need. 16 I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land. He will not take care of those that are wounded. He will not look for the young ones. He will not heal those that are hurt. He will not feed the healthy ones. Instead, he will eat the best sheep. He will even tear their hooves off.
17 “How terrible it will be for that worthless shepherd!
He deserts the flock.
May a sword strike his arm and his right eye!
May his powerful arm become weak!
May his right eye be totally blinded!”
Three Hallelujahs for the Fall of Babylon!
19 After these things I heard a roar in heaven. It sounded like a huge crowd shouting,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.
2 The way he judges is true and fair.
He has judged the great prostitute.
She made the earth impure with her terrible sins.
God has paid her back for killing those who served him.”
3 Again they shouted,
“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her fire goes up for ever and ever.”
4 The 24 elders and the four living creatures bowed down. They worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out,
“Amen! Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne. It said,
“Praise our God,
all you who serve him!
Praise God, all you who have respect for him,
both great and small!”
6 Then I heard the noise of a huge crowd. It sounded like the roar of rushing waters and like loud thunder. The people were shouting,
“Hallelujah!
Our Lord God is the King who rules over all.
7 Let us be joyful and glad!
Let us give him glory!
It is time for the Lamb’s wedding.
His bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given to her to wear.”
Fine linen stands for the right things that God’s holy people do.
9 Here is what the angel told me to write. “Blessed are those invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Then he added, “These are the true words of God.”
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