Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
19 But, Lord, don’t be far away.
You are my power. Hurry to help me.
20 Save me from the sword.
Save my life from the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the lion’s mouth.
Save me from the horns of the bulls.
22 Then I will tell my brothers and sisters about you.
I will praise you when your people meet to worship you.
23 Praise the Lord, all you who worship him.
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him.
Fear him, all you Israelites.
24 The Lord does not ignore
the one who is in trouble.
He doesn’t hide from him.
He listens when the one in trouble calls out to him.
25 Lord, I praise you in the great meeting of your people.
These worshipers will see me do what I promised.
26 Poor people will eat until they are full.
Those who look to the Lord will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!
27 People everywhere will remember
and will turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will worship him.
28 This is because the Lord is King.
He rules the nations.
Israel Does Not Follow God
57 Those right with God may die,
but no one pays attention.
Good people are taken away,
but no one understands.
The people who do right are being taken away because of evil.
2 But they are given peace.
The people who live the way God wants them to
find rest in death.
3 “Come here, you magicians!
Come here, you sons of prostitutes and those who take part in adultery!
4 Whom are you making fun of?
Whom are you insulting?
At whom do you stick out your tongue?
You turn against God,
and you are liars.
5 You sin sexually under every green tree
to worship your false gods.
You kill children in the ravines
and sacrifice them in the rocky places.
6 You take the smooth rocks from the ravines.
They are your portion.
You pour drink offerings on them to worship them.
You give grain offerings to them.
Do you think this makes me want to forgive you?
7 You make your bed on every hill and mountain.
And there you offer sacrifices.
8 You have hidden your idols
behind your doors and doorposts.
You have left me, and you have uncovered yourself.
You have pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.
You have made an agreement with
the ones whose beds you love.
And you have looked at their nakedness.
9 You use your oils and perfumes
to look nice for Molech.
You have sent your messengers to faraway lands.
You even tried to send them to where the dead are.
10 You have worked hard to do these things.
But you never gave up.
You found new strength.
So you did not quit.
11 “Whom were you so afraid of
that you lied to me?
You have not remembered me
or even thought about me.
I have been quiet for a long time.
Is that why you are not afraid of me?
12 I will tell about your ‘goodness’ and what you do.
And those things will do you no good.
13 When you cry out for help,
let the false gods you have gathered help you.
The wind will blow them all away.
Just a puff of wind will take them away.
But the person who depends on me will receive the land.
He will have my holy mountain.”
The Law and the Promise
15 Brothers, let me give you an example: Think about an agreement that a person makes with another person. After that agreement is accepted by both people, no one can stop that agreement or add anything to it. 16 God made promises to Abraham and his descendant. God did not say, “and to your descendants.” That would mean many people. But God said, “and to your descendant.” That means only one person; that person is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: God had an agreement with Abraham and promised to keep it. The law, which came 430 years later, cannot change God’s promise to Abraham. 18 Can following the law give us what God promised? No! If this is so, it is not God’s promise that brings us the blessings. Instead God freely gave his blessings to Abraham through the promise he had made.
19 So what was the law for? The law was given to show the wrong things people do. It continued until the special descendant of Abraham came. God’s promise was about this descendant. The law was given through angels who used Moses for a mediator[a] to give the law to men. 20 But a mediator is not needed when there is only one side. And God is only one.
The Purpose of the Law of Moses
21 Does this mean that the law is against God’s promises? Never! If there were a law that could give men life, then we could be made right by following that law. 22 But this is not true, because the Scriptures showed that the whole world is bound by sin. This was so that the promise would be given through faith. And it is given to people who believe in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.