Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 74
A maskil[a] of Asaph.
1 O God, why have you rejected(A) us forever?(B)
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?(C)
2 Remember the nation you purchased(D) long ago,(E)
the people of your inheritance,(F) whom you redeemed(G)—
Mount Zion,(H) where you dwelt.(I)
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,(J)
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4 Your foes roared(K) in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards(L) as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.(M)
6 They smashed all the carved(N) paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled(O) the dwelling place(P) of your Name.(Q)
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush(R) them completely!”
They burned(S) every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no signs from God;(T)
no prophets(U) are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
10 How long(V) will the enemy mock(W) you, God?
Will the foe revile(X) your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?(Y)
Take it from the folds of your garment(Z) and destroy them!
13 It was you who split open the sea(AC) by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster(AD) in the waters.
14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan(AE)
and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.(AF)
15 It was you who opened up springs(AG) and streams;
you dried up(AH) the ever-flowing rivers.
16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.(AI)
17 It was you who set all the boundaries(AJ) of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.(AK)
18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,
how foolish people(AL) have reviled your name.
19 Do not hand over the life of your dove(AM) to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted(AN) people forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant,(AO)
because haunts of violence fill the dark places(AP) of the land.
21 Do not let the oppressed(AQ) retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy(AR) praise your name.
22 Rise up,(AS) O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools(AT) mock you all day long.
23 Do not ignore the clamor(AU) of your adversaries,(AV)
the uproar(AW) of your enemies,(AX) which rises continually.
17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler(A) of Israel?”
18 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you(B) and your father’s family have. You have abandoned(C) the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. 19 Now summon(D) the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel.(E) And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”(F)
20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.(G) 21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver(H) between two opinions? If the Lord(I) is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”
But the people said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left,(J) but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.(K) 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call(L) on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.(M) The god who answers by fire(N)—he is God.”
Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then they called(O) on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response;(P) no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”(Q) 28 So they shouted louder and slashed(R) themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice.(S) But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.(T)
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar(U) of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”(V) 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name(W) of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs[a] of seed. 33 He arranged(X) the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time(Y) of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham,(Z) Isaac and Israel, let it be known(AA) today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.(AB) 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know(AC) that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire(AD) of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate(AE) and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”(AF)
40 Then Elijah commanded them, “Seize the prophets of Baal. Don’t let anyone get away!” They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley(AG) and slaughtered(AH) there.
The Judgment of Satan
7 When the thousand years are over,(A) Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations(B) in the four corners of the earth(C)—Gog and Magog(D)—and to gather them for battle.(E) In number they are like the sand on the seashore.(F) 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded(G) the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.(H) But fire came down from heaven(I) and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them,(J) was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,(K) where the beast(L) and the false prophet(M) had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.(N)
The Judgment of the Dead
11 Then I saw a great white throne(O) and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence,(P) and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small,(Q) standing before the throne, and books were opened.(R) Another book was opened, which is the book of life.(S) The dead were judged(T) according to what they had done(U) as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades(V) gave up the dead(W) that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.(X) 14 Then death(Y) and Hades(Z) were thrown into the lake of fire.(AA) The lake of fire is the second death.(AB) 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life(AC) was thrown into the lake of fire.
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