Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 37[a]
Of David.
1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious(A) of those who do wrong;(B)
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,(C)
like green plants they will soon die away.(D)
3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land(E) and enjoy safe pasture.(F)
4 Take delight(G) in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.(H)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him(I) and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward(J) shine like the dawn,(K)
your vindication like the noonday sun.
8 When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,(A) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.(B)
9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,[a] was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend(C) on deceive(D) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ 11 Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver(E) them—the gods of Gozan,(F) Harran,(G) Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”(H)
Hezekiah’s Prayer(I)
14 Hezekiah received the letter(J) from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim,(K) you alone(L) are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear,(M) Lord, and hear;(N) open your eyes,(O) Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods(P) but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands.(Q) 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver(R) us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms(S) of the earth may know(T) that you alone, Lord, are God.”
Isaiah Prophesies Sennacherib’s Fall(U)(V)
20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard(W) your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.
35 That night the angel of the Lord(A) went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!(B) 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew.(C) He returned to Nineveh(D) and stayed there.
37 One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek(E) and Sharezer killed him with the sword,(F) and they escaped to the land of Ararat.(G) And Esarhaddon(H) his son succeeded him as king.
To the Church in Pergamum
12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum(A) write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.(B) 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me,(C) not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,(D) who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.(E)
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:(F) There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam,(G) who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols(H) and committed sexual immorality.(I) 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.(J) 16 Repent(K) therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.(L)
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear(M) what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious,(N) I will give some of the hidden manna.(O) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name(P) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.(Q)
To the Church in Thyatira
18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira(R) write:
These are the words of the Son of God,(S) whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.(T) 19 I know your deeds,(U) your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel,(V) who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.(W) 21 I have given her time(X) to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.(Y) 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery(Z) with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds,(AA) and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.(AB)
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,(AC) 25 except to hold on to what you have(AD) until I come.’(AE)
26 To the one who is victorious(AF) and does my will to the end,(AG) I will give authority over the nations(AH)— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter(AI) and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[a](AJ)—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.(AK) 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear(AL) what the Spirit says to the churches.
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