Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

God Is with Us

46 God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. ² So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, ³ and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.

⁴ There is a river whose waters make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High lives. ⁵ God is in the center of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when the morning comes. ⁶ The people made noise. The nations fell. He raised His voice and the earth melted. ⁷ The Lord of All is with us. The God of Jacob is our strong place.

⁸ Come and see the works of the Lord. He has destroyed parts of the earth. ⁹ He stops wars to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the war-wagons with fire. ¹⁰ Be quiet and know that I am God. I will be honored among the nations. I will be honored in the earth. ¹¹ The Lord of All is with us. The God of Jacob is our strong place.

¹² Then the man who was sent to call Micaiah said to him, “See, all the men who tell what will happen in the future are speaking in the king’s favor. So I ask that you let your word be like one of them, and speak in the king’s favor.” ¹³ But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, I will speak what my God says.” ¹⁴ When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or should I wait?” Micaiah said, “Go up and win the battle. For they will be given into your hand.” ¹⁵ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I tell you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁶ So he said, “I saw all Israel spread out on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no owner. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’” ¹⁷ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not tell me anything good, but bad?” ¹⁸ Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne. All the armies of heaven were standing on His right and on His left. ¹⁹ The Lord said, ‘Who will lead King Ahab of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. ²⁰ Then a spirit came and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will lead him to do it.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ ²¹ He said, ‘I will go and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all Ahab’s men who tell what will happen in the future.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are to make him want to go, and you will do well. Go and do so.’ ²² So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of your men who speak for God. For the Lord has said that trouble will come to you.”

One Perfect Gift

²³ The tent to worship in and the things inside to worship with were like the things in heaven. They were made clean by putting blood on them. But the things in heaven were made clean by a much better gift of worship. ²⁴ For Christ did not go into the Holiest Place of All that was made by men, even if it was like the true one in heaven. He went to heaven itself and He is before God for us. ²⁵ Christ has not given Himself many times, as the head religious leader here on earth went into the Holiest Place of All each year with blood that was not his own. ²⁶ For then Christ would have had to die many times since the world began. But He came once at the end of the Old Way of Worship. He gave Himself once for all time. He gave Himself to destroy sin. ²⁷ It is in the plan that all men die once. After that, they will stand before God and be judged. ²⁸ It is the same with Christ. He gave Himself once to take away the sins of many. When He comes the second time, He will not need to give Himself again for sin. He will save all those who are waiting for Him.