Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A (A)scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness, in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too [a]strong for [b]this—will come [c]at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.”
22 “(A)For My people are foolish,
They do not know Me;
They are foolish children
And have no understanding.
They are skillful at (B)doing evil,
But they do not know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the earth, and behold, it was a [a](C)formless and desolate emptiness;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were (D)quaking,
And all the hills jolted back and forth.
25 I looked, and behold, there was no human,
And all the (E)birds of the sky had fled.
26 I looked, and behold, [b]the (F)fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were pulled down
Before the Lord, before His fierce anger.
27 For this is what the Lord says:
“The (G)whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will (H)not execute a complete destruction.
28 For this the (I)earth will mourn,
And the (J)heavens above will become dark,
Because I have (K)spoken, I have purposed,
And I have not [c]changed My mind, nor will I turn from it.”
Foolishness and Wickedness of People.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool has (A)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed detestable acts;
There is (B)no one who does good.
2 The Lord has (C)looked down from heaven upon the sons of mankind
To see if there are any who [a](D)understand,
Who (E)seek God.
3 They have all (F)turned aside, together they are corrupt;
There is (G)no one who does good, not even one.
Paul’s Testimony
12 I thank (A)Christ Jesus our Lord, who has (B)strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, (C)putting me into service, 13 even though I was previously a blasphemer and a (D)persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was (E)shown mercy because (F)I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the (G)grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the (H)faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 15 (I)It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that (J)Christ Jesus came into the world to (K)save sinners, among whom (L)I am foremost. 16 Yet for this reason I (M)found mercy, so that in me as the foremost sinner Jesus Christ might (N)demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those [a]who would believe in Him for eternal life. 17 Now to the (O)King [b]eternal, (P)immortal, (Q)invisible, the (R)only God, (S)be honor and glory [c]forever and ever. Amen.
The Lost Sheep
15 Now all the (A)tax collectors and [a]sinners were coming near [b]Jesus to listen to Him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This Man receives sinners and (B)eats with them.”
3 And so He told them this parable, saying, 4 “(C)What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the other ninety-nine in the [c]open pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he puts it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
The Lost Coin
8 “Or what woman, if she has ten [d]silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the coin which I had lost!’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy (D)in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
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