Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song of Ascents.
120 In my distress, I cried to Yahweh.
He answered me.
2 Deliver my soul, Yahweh, from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.
3 What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you,
you deceitful tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the mighty,
with coals of juniper.
5 Woe is me, that I live in Meshech,
that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul has had her dwelling too long
with him who hates peace.
7 I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war.
11 For Yahweh says touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went out of this place: “He won’t return there any more. 12 But he will die in the place where they have led him captive. He will see this land no more.”
13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness,
and his rooms by injustice;
who uses his neighbor’s service without wages,
and doesn’t give him his hire;
14 who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’
and cuts out windows for himself,
with a cedar ceiling,
and painted with red.
15 “Should you reign because you strive to excel in cedar?
Didn’t your father eat and drink,
and do justice and righteousness?
Then it was well with him.
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy;
so then it was well.
Wasn’t this to know me?”
says Yahweh.
17 But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness,
for shedding innocent blood,
for oppression, and for doing violence.”
37 Now as he spoke, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. He went in and sat at the table. 38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner. 39 The Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. 40 You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give for gifts to the needy those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. 42 But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and God’s love. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces. 44 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like hidden graves, and the men who walk over them don’t know it.”
45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”
46 He said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those burdens. 47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. 48 So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs. 49 Therefore also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; and some of them they will kill and persecute, 50 that the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary.’ Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. 52 Woe to you lawyers! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn’t enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, you hindered.”
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