Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Has Had Enough
10 Hear (A)the word of the Lord,
You rulers of (B)Sodom;
Listen to the instruction of our God,
You people of Gomorrah!
11 “(C)What are your many sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I [a]have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fattened 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 courtyards?
13 Do not go on bringing your worthless offerings,
(E)Incense is an abomination to Me.
(F)New moon and Sabbath, the (G)proclamation of an assembly—
I cannot (H)endure wrongdoing and the festive assembly.
14 [c]I hate your new moon festivals and your (I)appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am (J)tired 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)offer many prayers,
I will not be listening.
(N)Your hands are [d]covered with blood.
16 “(O)Wash yourselves, (P)make yourselves clean;
(Q)Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
(R)Stop doing evil,
17 Learn to do good;
(S)Seek justice,
Rebuke the oppressor,
(T)Obtain justice for the orphan,
Plead for the widow’s case.
Invitation to Debate
18 “Come now, and (U)let us [e]debate your case,”
Says the Lord,
“(V)Though your sins are as scarlet,
They shall become as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be like wool.
19 (W)If you are willing and obedient,
You will (X)eat the best of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You will be (Y)devoured by the sword.”
For (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 [b]the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, (C)the perfection of beauty,
God (D)has shone.
3 May our God (E)come and not keep silent;
(F)Fire devours before Him,
And a storm is violently (G)raging 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. Selah
The Triumphs of Faith
11 Now faith is the (A)certainty of things [a](B)hoped for, a [b]proof of (C)things not seen. 2 For by it the (D)people of old [c](E)gained approval.
3 By faith we understand that the [d](F)world has been created (G)by the word of God so that what is seen (H)has not been made out of things that 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 left, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as a stranger in (C)the land of promise, as in a foreign land, (D)living 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 even from one man, and (K)one who was as good as dead [c]at that, there were born descendants who were (L)just as the stars of heaven in number, and as the innumerable grains of sand along the seashore.
13 (M)All these died in faith, (N)without receiving the promises, but (O)having seen and 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 which they left, (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](A)Do not be afraid, (B)little flock, because (C)your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.
33 “(D)Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts that do not wear out, (E)an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor does a moth destroy. 34 For (F)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Be in Readiness
35 “[b](G)Be prepared, and keep your (H)lamps lit. 36 You are also to be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door for 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 [c]prepare himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and he will come up and serve them. 38 (K)Whether he comes in the [d]second watch, or even in the [e]third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “(L)But [f]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 (M)broken into. 40 (N)You too, be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think He will.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.