Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Praise God Who Helps the Weak
146 Praise the Lord!
My whole being, praise the Lord.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes
or other people, who cannot save you.
4 When people die, they are buried.
Then all of their plans come to an end.
5 Happy are those who are helped by the God of Jacob.
Their hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He made heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in it.
He remains loyal forever.
7 The Lord does what is fair for those who have been wronged.
He gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up people who are in trouble.
The Lord loves those who do right.
9 The Lord protects the foreigners.
He defends the orphans and widows.
But he overthrows the wicked.
10 The Lord will be King forever.
Jerusalem, your God is everlasting.
Praise the Lord!
11 A rich man may think he is wise.
But a poor man who has understanding knows the rich man is wrong.
12 When good people win, there is great happiness.
But when the wicked get power, everybody hides.
13 If you hide your sins, you will not succeed.
If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy.
14 Those who always respect the Lord will be happy.
But those who are stubborn will get into trouble.
15 A wicked ruler is as dangerous to poor people
as a roaring lion or a charging bear.
16 A ruler who is cruel does not have wisdom.
But the one who hates money taken dishonestly will live a long time.
17 A man who is guilty of murder
will run until he dies.
So do not stop him.
18 Innocent people will be kept safe.
But those who are dishonest will suddenly be ruined.
19 The person who works his land will have plenty of food.
But the one who chases useless dreams instead will end up very poor.
20 A truthful man will have many blessings.
But those eager to get rich will be punished.
21 It is not good for a judge to take sides.
But some will sin for just a piece of bread.
22 A selfish person is in a hurry to get rich.
He does not realize his selfishness will make him poor.
23 Those who correct others will later be liked
more than those who give false praise.
24 Some people rob their fathers or mothers
and say, “It’s not wrong.”
Such people are just like those who destroy things.
25 A greedy person causes trouble.
But the one who trusts the Lord will succeed.
26 The person who trusts in himself is foolish.
But the person who lives wisely will be kept safe.
27 The person who gives to the poor will have everything he needs.
But the one who ignores the poor will have many curses put on him.
28 When the wicked get power, everybody hides.
But when the wicked die, the good people do well.
43 All the people were amazed at the great power of God.
Jesus Talks About His Death
The people were all wondering about the things Jesus did. But he said to his followers, 44 “Don’t forget the things I tell you now: The Son of Man will be handed over into the control of men.” 45 But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant. The meaning was hidden from them so that they could not understand it. But they were afraid to ask Jesus about what he said.
The Most Important Person
46 Jesus’ followers began to have an argument about which one of them was the greatest. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he took a little child and stood the child beside him. 48 Then Jesus said, “If anyone accepts a little child like this in my name, then he accepts me. And when he accepts me, he accepts the One who sent me. He who is least among you all—he is the greatest.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.