Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A song of thanks.
100 Earth, sing to the Lord!
2 Be happy as you serve the Lord!
Come before him with happy songs!
3 Know that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we belong to him.
We are his people, the sheep he takes care of.
4 Come through the gates to his Temple giving thanks to him.
Enter his courtyards with songs of praise.
Honor him and bless his name.
5 The Lord is good!
There is no end to his faithful love.
We can trust him forever and ever!
14 The Lord will appear to them,
and he will shoot his arrows like lightning.
The Lord God will blow the trumpet,
and the army will rush forward like a desert dust storm.
15 The Lord All-Powerful will protect them.
The soldiers will use rocks and slings to defeat the enemy.
They will spill the blood of their enemies.
It will flow like wine.
It will be like the blood that is thrown on the corners of the altar!
16 At that time the Lord their God
will save his people
like a shepherd saves his sheep.
They will be very precious to him.
They will be like sparkling jewels in his land.
17 Everything will be good and beautiful!
There will be a wonderful crop,
but it will not be just the food and wine.
It will be all the young men and women!
The Lord’s Promises
10 Pray to the Lord for rain in the springtime. The Lord will send the lightning and the rain will fall, and he will make the plants grow in each person’s field.
2 People use their little statues and magic to learn what will happen in the future, but that is useless. They see visions and tell about their dreams, but it is nothing but worthless lies. So the people are like sheep wandering here and there crying for help, but there is no shepherd to lead them.
Paul Speaks to the Elders From Ephesus
17 In Miletus Paul sent a message back to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church in Ephesus to come to him.
18 When they came, Paul said to them, “You know about my life from the first day I came to Asia. You know the way I lived all the time I was with you. 19 The Jews planned things against me, and this gave me much trouble. But you know that I always served the Lord, sometimes with tears. I never thought about myself first. 20 I always did what was best for you. I told you the Good News about Jesus in public before the people and also taught in your homes. 21 I told everyone—Jewish and non-Jewish people—to change and turn to God. I told them all to believe in our Lord Jesus.
22 “But now I must obey the Spirit and go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. 23 I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit tells me that troubles and even jail wait for me. 24 I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I finish my work. I want to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.
25 “And now listen to me. I know that none of you will ever see me again. All the time I was with you, I told you the Good News about God’s kingdom. 26 So today I can tell you one thing that I am sure of: God will not blame me if some of you are not saved. 27 I can say this because I know that I told you everything that God wants you to know. 28 Be careful for yourselves and for all the people God has given you. The Holy Spirit gave you the work of caring for[a] this flock.[b] You must be shepherds to the church of God,[c] the people he bought with his own blood.[d] 29 I know that after I leave, some men will come into your group. They will be like wild wolves and will try to destroy the flock. 30 Also, men from your own group will begin to teach things that are wrong. They will lead some of the Lord’s followers away from the truth to follow them. 31 So be careful! And always remember what I did during the three years I was with you. I never stopped reminding each one of you how you should live, counseling you day and night and crying over you.
32 “Now I am putting you in God’s care. I am depending on the message about his grace to make you strong. That message is able to give you the blessings that God gives to all his holy people. 33 When I was with you, I never wanted anyone’s money or fine clothes. 34 You know that I always worked to take care of my own needs and the needs of the people who were with me. 35 I always showed you that you should work just as I did and help people who are weak. I taught you to remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘You will have a greater blessing when you give than when you receive.’”
36 When Paul finished speaking, he knelt down, and they all prayed together. 37-38 They cried and cried. They were especially sad because Paul had said they would never see him again. They hugged him and kissed him. Then they went with him to the ship to say goodbye.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International