Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 79
Faith amid Confusion
A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 God, the nations have invaded your inheritance,
desecrated your holy temple,
and turned Jerusalem into ruins.(B)
2 They gave the corpses of your servants
to the birds of the sky for food,
the flesh of your faithful ones
to the beasts of the earth.(C)
3 They poured out their blood
like water all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.(D)
4 We have become an object of reproach
to our neighbors,
a source of mockery and ridicule
to those around us.(E)
5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy keep burning like fire?(F)
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that don’t acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name,(G)
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.(H)
8 Do not hold past iniquities[a] against us;
let your compassion come to us quickly,
for we have become very weak.(I)
9 God of our salvation, help us,(J)
for the glory of your name.
Rescue us and atone for our sins,
for your name’s sake.(K)
10 Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?” (L)
Before our eyes,
let vengeance for the shed blood of your servants
be known among the nations.(M)
11 Let the groans of the prisoners reach you;
according to your great power,
preserve those condemned to die.(N)
The Lord’s Rule from Restored Zion
4 In the last days(A)
the mountain of the Lord’s house(B)
will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
Peoples will stream to it,(C)
2 and many nations will come and say,(D)
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,(E)
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us about his ways(F)
so we may walk in his paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion(G)
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will settle disputes among many peoples(H)
and provide arbitration for strong nations
that are far away.
They will beat their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.
Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
and they will never again train for war.
4 But each person will sit under his grapevine(I)
and under his fig tree
with no one to frighten him.(J)
For the mouth of the Lord(K) of Armies
has spoken.
5 Though all the peoples walk
in the name of their own gods,(L)
we will walk(M) in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.(N)
Preparation for the Bowl Judgments
15 Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign[a] in heaven:(A) seven angels with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed.(B) 2 I also saw something like a sea of glass(C) mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image,[b] and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God.(D) 3 They sang the song of God’s servant Moses(E) and the song of the Lamb:
Great and awe-inspiring are your works,
Lord God, the Almighty;
just and true(F) are your ways,
King of the nations.[c](G)
4 Lord, who will not fear
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.(H)
All the nations will come
and worship before you(I)
because your righteous acts
have been revealed.
5 After this I looked, and the heavenly temple—the tabernacle of testimony(J)—was opened.(K) 6 Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes wrapped around their chests. 7 One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.(L) 8 Then the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power,(M) and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
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