Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Observances of Fasts
58 “(A)Cry loudly, do not hold back;
Raise your voice like a trumpet,
And declare to My people their (B)wrongdoing,
And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they (C)seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways,
As a nation that has done (D)righteousness
And (E)has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.
They ask Me for just decisions,
They delight (F)in the nearness of God.
3 ‘Why have we (G)fasted and You do not see?
Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not [a]notice?’
Behold, on the (H)day of your fast you find your desire,
And oppress all your workers.
4 Behold, you fast for contention and (I)strife, and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you have done today to (J)make your voice heard on high!
5 Is it a fast like this that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself?
Is it for bowing [b]one’s head like a reed
And for spreading out (K)sackcloth and ashes as a bed?
Will you call this a fast, even an (L)acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Is this not the fast that I choose:
To (M)release the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the ropes of the yoke,
And to (N)let the oppressed go free,
And (O)break every yoke?
7 Is it not to (P)break your bread [c]with the hungry
And (Q)bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the (R)naked, to cover him;
And not to (S)hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your (T)light will break out like the dawn,
And your (U)recovery will spring up quickly;
And your (V)righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the (W)Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will (X)call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you (Y)remove the yoke from your midst,
The [d](Z)pointing of the finger and (AA)speaking wickedness,
9 Then you will (A)call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you (B)remove the yoke from your midst,
The [a](C)pointing of the finger and (D)speaking wickedness,
10 And if you (E)offer yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the [b]need of the afflicted,
Then your (F)light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.
11 And the (G)Lord will continually guide you,
And (H)satisfy your [c]desire in scorched places,
And (I)give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a (J)watered garden,
And like a (K)spring of water whose waters do not [d]fail.
12 Those from among you will (L)rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will (M)raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the (N)breach,
The restorer of the [e]streets in which to dwell.
Prosperity of One Who Fears the Lord.
112 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Blessed is a person who [c]fears the Lord,
Who greatly (B)delights in His commandments.
2 His [d](C)descendants will be mighty [e]on the earth;
The generation of the (D)upright will be blessed.
3 (E)Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness (F)for the upright;
He is (G)gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
5 It goes well for a person who (H)is gracious and lends;
He will [f]maintain his cause in judgment.
6 For he will (I)never be shaken;
The (J)righteous will be [g]remembered forever.
Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit
2 And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, I (A)did not come as someone superior in [a]speaking ability or [b]wisdom, as I proclaimed to you (B)the [c]testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except (C)Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I also was with you in (D)weakness and (E)fear, and in great trembling, 4 and my [d]message and my preaching were (F)not in persuasive words of [e]wisdom, but in demonstration of (G)the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not [f]rest on the [g]wisdom of mankind, but on (H)the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are (I)mature; a wisdom, however, not of (J)this age nor of the rulers of (K)this age, who are (L)passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a (M)mystery, the hidden wisdom which God (N)predestined before the (O)ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom (P)which none of the rulers of (Q)this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified (R)the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written:
“(S)Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the human heart,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 [h](T)For to us God revealed them (U)through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the (V)depths of God. 11 For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the (W)spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we (X)have not received the spirit of (Y)the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.
13 We also speak these things, (A)not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, [a]combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But [b]a (B)natural person (C)does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are (D)foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But the one who is (E)spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is [c]discerned by no one. 16 For (F)who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But (G)we have the mind of Christ.
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but (A)if the salt has become tasteless, how [a]can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.
14 “You are (B)the light of the world. A city set on a [b]hill cannot be hidden; 15 (C)nor do people light a lamp and put it under a [c]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may (D)see your good works, and (E)glorify your Father who is in heaven.
17 “Do not presume that I came to abolish the (F)Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, (G)until heaven and earth pass away, not [d]the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19 Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [e]others to do the same, shall be called least (H)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever [f]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your (I)righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
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