Justice Proclaimed, Resurrection Accomplished

1. The words of Amos, who was among the herdsmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. 2. He said: “Yahweh will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither.” 3. Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron; 4. but I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, and it will devour the palaces of Ben Hadad. 5. I will break the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from the house of Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into captivity to Kir,” says Yahweh. 6. Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Gaza, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they carried away captive the whole community, to deliver them up to Edom; 7. but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, and it will devour its palaces. 8. I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; and I will turn my hand against Ekron; and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord Yahweh. 9. Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they delivered up the whole community to Edom, and didn’t remember the brotherly covenant; 10. but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyre, and it will devour its palaces.” 11. Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Edom, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger raged continually, and he kept his wrath forever; 12. but I will send a fire on Teman, and it will devour the palaces of Bozrah.” 13. Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead, that they may enlarge their border. 14. But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it will devour its palaces, with shouting in the day of battle, with a storm in the day of the whirlwind; 15. and their king will go into captivity, he and his princes together,” says Yahweh. 1. Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Moab, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime; 2. but I will send a fire on Moab, and it will devour the palaces of Kerioth; and Moab will die with tumult, with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet; 3. and I will cut off the judge from among them, and will kill all its princes with him,” says Yahweh. 4. Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have rejected Yahweh’s law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked; 5. but I will send a fire on Judah, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem.” 6. Yahweh says: “For three transgressions of Israel, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have sold the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; 7. They trample on the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and deny justice to the oppressed; and a man and his father use the same maiden, to profane my holy name; 8. and they lay themselves down beside every altar on clothes taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined. 9. Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. 10. Also I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and led you forty years in the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. 11. I raised up some of your sons for prophets, and some of your young men for Nazirites. Isn’t this true, you children of Israel?” says Yahweh. 12. “But you gave the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, ‘Don’t prophesy!’ 13. Behold, I will crush you in your place, as a cart crushes that is full of grain. 14. Flight will perish from the swift; and the strong won’t strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself; 15. neither shall he stand who handles the bow; and he who is swift of foot won’t escape; neither shall he who rides the horse deliver himself; 16. and he who is courageous among the mighty will flee away naked on that day,” says Yahweh. 1. Hear this word that Yahweh has spoken against you, children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2. “I have only chosen you of all the families of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all of your sins.” 3. Do two walk together, unless they have agreed? 4. Will a lion roar in the thicket, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? 5. Can a bird fall in a trap on the earth, where no snare is set for him? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when there is nothing to catch? 6. Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city, without the people being afraid? Does evil happen to a city, and Yahweh hasn’t done it? 7. Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets. 8. The lion has roared. Who will not fear? The Lord Yahweh has spoken. Who can but prophesy? 9. Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say, “Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see what unrest is in her, and what oppression is among them.” 10. “Indeed they don’t know to do right,” says Yahweh, “Who hoard plunder and loot in their palaces.” 11. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “An adversary will overrun the land; and he will pull down your strongholds, and your fortresses will be plundered.” 12. Yahweh says: “As the shepherd rescues out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the children of Israel be rescued who sit in Samaria on the corner of a couch, and on the silken cushions of a bed.” 13. “Listen, and testify against the house of Jacob,” says the Lord Yahweh, the God of Armies. 14. “For in the day that I visit the transgressions of Israel on him, I will also visit the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar will be cut off, and fall to the ground. 15. I will strike the winter house with the summer house; and the houses of ivory will perish, and the great houses will have an end,” says Yahweh.

1. Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate. 2. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered, “So you say.” 3. The chief priests accused him of many things. 4. Pilate again asked him, “Have you no answer? See how many things they testify against you!” 5. But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate marveled. 6. Now at the feast he used to release to them one prisoner, whom they asked of him. 7. There was one called Barabbas, bound with his fellow insurgents, men who in the insurrection had committed murder. 8. The multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do as he always did for them. 9. Pilate answered them, saying, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 10. For he perceived that for envy the chief priests had delivered him up. 11. But the chief priests stirred up the multitude, that he should release Barabbas to them instead. 12. Pilate again asked them, “What then should I do to him whom you call the King of the Jews?” 13. They cried out again, “Crucify him!” 14. Pilate said to them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, “Crucify him!” 15. Pilate, wishing to please the multitude, released Barabbas to them, and handed over Jesus, when he had flogged him, to be crucified. 16. The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. 17. They clothed him with purple, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18. They began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19. They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. 20. When they had mocked him, they took the purple off him, and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him. 21. They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. 22. They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, “The place of a skull.” 23. They offered him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he didn’t take it. 24. Crucifying him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take. 25. It was the third hour, and they crucified him. 26. The superscription of his accusation was written over him, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 27. With him they crucified two robbers; one on his right hand, and one on his left. 28. The Scripture was fulfilled, which says, “He was counted with transgressors.” 29. Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, 30. save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31. Likewise, also the chief priests mocking among themselves with the scribes said, “He saved others. He can’t save himself. 32. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, that we may see and believe him.” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him. 33. When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34. At the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35. Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” 36. One ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down.” 37. Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and gave up the spirit. 38. The veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. 39. When the centurion, who stood by opposite him, saw that he cried out like this and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 40. There were also women watching from afar, among whom were both Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; 41. who, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and served him; and many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. 42. When evening had now come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43. Joseph of Arimathaea, a prominent council member who also himself was looking for God’s Kingdom, came. He boldly went in to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. 44. Pilate marveled if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead long. 45. When he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46. He bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been cut out of a rock. He rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where he was laid. 1. When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2. Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3. They were saying among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4. for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back. 5. Entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were amazed. 6. He said to them, “Don’t be amazed. You seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen. He is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him! 7. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him, as he said to you.’” 8. They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid. 9. Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11. When they heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they disbelieved. 12. After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them, as they walked, on their way into the country. 13. They went away and told it to the rest. They didn’t believe them, either. 14. Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen. 15. He said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation. 16. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned. 17. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; 18. they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19. So then the Lord, after he had spoken to them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20. They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.

1. Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me. 2. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help. 3. Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, “I am your salvation.” 4. Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded. 5. Let them be as chaff before the wind, Yahweh’s angel driving them on. 6. Let their way be dark and slippery, Yahweh’s angel pursuing them. 7. For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me. Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul. 8. Let destruction come on him unawares. Let his net that he has hidden catch himself. Let him fall into that destruction. 9. My soul shall be joyful in Yahweh. It shall rejoice in his salvation. 10. All my bones shall say, “Yahweh, who is like you, who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?” 11. Unrighteous witnesses rise up. They ask me about things that I don’t know about. 12. They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul. 13. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom. 14. I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother. I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother. 15. But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together. The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I didn’t know it. They tore at me, and didn’t cease. 16. Like the profane mockers in feasts, they gnashed their teeth at me. 17. Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions. 18. I will give you thanks in the great assembly. I will praise you among many people. 19. Don’t let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let those who hate me without a cause wink their eyes. 20. For they don’t speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land. 21. Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, “Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!” 22. You have seen it, Yahweh. Don’t keep silent. Lord, don’t be far from me. 23. Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God! My Lord, contend for me! 24. Vindicate me, Yahweh my God, according to your righteousness. Don’t let them gloat over me. 25. Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!” Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” 26. Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me. 27. Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause. Yes, let them say continually, “Yahweh be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!” 28. My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.