Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Basket of Fruit and Israel’s Captivity
8 Thus the Lord [a]God showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit. 2 He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And (A)I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The (B)end has come for My people Israel. I will [b](C)spare them no longer. 3 [c]The (D)songs of the palace will turn to (E)wailing in that day,” declares the Lord God. “Many will be the (F)corpses; in every place [d]they will cast them forth [e]in silence.”
4 Hear this, you who [f](G)trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land, 5 saying,
“When will the (H)new moon [g]be over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the (I)sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the [h]bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to (J)cheat with [i]dishonest scales,
6 So as to (K)buy the helpless for [j]money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”
7 The Lord has (L)sworn by the (M)pride of Jacob,
“Indeed, I will (N)never forget any of their deeds.
8 “Because of this will not the land (O)quake
And everyone who dwells in it (P)mourn?
Indeed, all of it will (Q)rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
9 “It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God,
“That I will make the (R)sun go down at noon
And (S)make the earth dark in [k]broad daylight.
10 “Then I will (T)turn your festivals into mourning
And all your songs into [l]lamentation;
And I will bring (U)sackcloth on everyone’s loins
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it (V)like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather (W)for hearing the words of the Lord.
12 “People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to (X)seek the word of the Lord,
But they will not find it.
Futility of Boastful Wickedness.
For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of David, [b]when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
52 Why do you (A)boast in evil, O mighty man?
The (B)lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
2 Your tongue devises (C)destruction,
Like a (D)sharp razor, (E)O worker of deceit.
3 You (F)love evil more than good,
(G)Falsehood more than speaking what is right. [c]Selah.
4 You love all words that devour,
O (H)deceitful tongue.
5 [d]But God will break you down forever;
He will snatch you up and (I)tear you away from your tent,
And (J)uproot you from the (K)land of the living. Selah.
6 The righteous will (L)see and fear,
And will (M)laugh at him, saying,
7 “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But (N)trusted in the abundance of his riches
And (O)was strong in [e]his evil desire.”
15 [a]He is the (A)image of the (B)invisible God, the (C)firstborn of all creation. 16 For [b](D)by Him all things were created, (E)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether (F)thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—(G)all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He [c](H)is before all things, and in Him all things [d]hold together. 18 He is also (I)head of (J)the body, the church; and He is (K)the beginning, (L)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For [e]it was (M)the Father’s good pleasure for all (N)the [f]fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to (O)reconcile all things to Himself, having made (P)peace through (Q)the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, (R)whether things on earth or things in [g]heaven.
21 And although you were (S)formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now (T)reconciled you in His fleshly (U)body through death, in order to (V)present you before Him (W)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in [h]the faith firmly (X)established and steadfast, and not moved away from the (Y)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed (Z)in all creation under heaven, (AA)and of which I, Paul, [i]was made a [j](AB)minister.
24 (AC)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh (AD)I [k]do my share on behalf of (AE)His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking [l]in Christ’s afflictions. 25 (AF)Of this church I [m]was made a minister according to the (AG)stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might [n]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, (AH)the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His [o]saints, 27 to whom (AI)God willed to make known what is (AJ)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is (AK)Christ in you, the (AL)hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, (AM)admonishing every man and teaching every man [p]with all (AN)wisdom, so that we may (AO)present every man [q](AP)complete in Christ.
Martha and Mary
38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named (A)Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called (B)Mary, who was (C)seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But (D)Martha was distracted with [a]all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “(E)Martha, Martha, you are (F)worried and bothered about so many things; 42 (G)but only one thing is necessary, for (H)Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
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