Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Has Had Enough
10 Hear (A)the word of the Lord,
You rulers of (B)Sodom;
Give ear to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah.
11 “(C)What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I [a]have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.
12 “When you come (D)to appear before Me,
Who requires [b]of you this trampling of My courts?
13 “Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
(E)Incense is an abomination to Me.
(F)New moon and sabbath, the (G)calling of assemblies—
I cannot (H)endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
14 “I hate your new moon festivals and your (I)appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am (J)weary of bearing them.
15 “So when you (K)spread out your hands in prayer,
(L)I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you (M)multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
(N)Your hands are [c]covered with blood.
16 “(O)Wash yourselves, (P)make yourselves clean;
(Q)Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
(R)Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
(S)Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
[d](T)Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.
“Let Us Reason”
18 “Come now, and (U)let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“(V)Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
19 “(W)If you consent and obey,
You will (X)eat the best of the land;
20 “But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be (Y)devoured by the sword.”
Truly, (Z)the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.
A Psalm of [a]Asaph.
50 (A)The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth (B)from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, (C)the perfection of beauty,
God (D)has shone forth.
3 May our God (E)come and not keep silence;
(F)Fire devours before Him,
And it is very (G)tempestuous around Him.
4 He (H)summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
5 “Gather My (I)godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a (J)covenant with Me by (K)sacrifice.”
6 And the (L)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (M)God Himself is judge. [b]Selah.
The Triumphs of Faith
11 Now faith is the [a](A)assurance of things [b](B)hoped for, the [c]conviction of (C)things not seen. 2 For by it the (D)men of old [d](E)gained approval.
3 By faith we understand that the [e](F)worlds were prepared (G)by the word of God, so that what is seen (H)was not made out of things which are visible.
8 By faith (A)Abraham, when he was called, obeyed [a]by going out to a place which he was to (B)receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in (C)the land of promise, as in a foreign land, (D)dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, (E)fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for (F)the city which has (G)foundations, (H)whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith even (I)Sarah herself received [b]ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him (J)faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and (K)him as good as dead [c]at that, as many descendants (L)as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
13 (M)All these died in faith, (N)without receiving the promises, but (O)having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and (P)having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been [d]thinking of that country from which they went out, (Q)they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a (R)heavenly one. Therefore (S)God is not [e]ashamed to be (T)called their God; for (U)He has prepared a city for them.
32 (A)Do not be afraid, (B)little flock, for (C)your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
33 “(D)Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, (E)an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 For (F)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Be in Readiness
35 “[a](G)Be dressed in (H)readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find (I)on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that (J)he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 (K)Whether he comes in the [b]second watch, or even in the [c]third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “(L)But [d]be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be [e](M)broken into. 40 (N)You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not [f]expect.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.