); Isaiah 49:13-23 (God comforts the suffering); Matthew 18:1-14 (Become like a child) (1599 Geneva Bible)
Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
148 1 He provoketh all creatures to praise the Lord in heaven and earth, and all places. 14 Specially his Church, for the power that he hath given to the same, after that he had chosen them and joined them unto him.
Praise ye the Lord.
1 Praise ye the Lord from the heaven: praise ye him in the high places.
2 Praise ye him, all ye [a]his Angels: praise him, all his army.
3 Praise ye him, [b]sun and moon: praise ye him all bright stars.
4 Praise ye him [c]heavens of heavens, and [d]waters, that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created.
6 And he hath established them forever and ever: he hath made an ordinance, which shall not pass.
7 Praise ye the Lord from the earth, ye [e]dragons and all depths:
8 [f]Fire and hail, snow and vapors, stormy wind, which execute his word.
9 Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and feathered fowls:
11 [g]Kings of the earth and all people, princes and all judges of the world:
12 Young men and maidens, also old men and children:
13 Let them praise the Name of the Lord: for his Name only is to be exalted, and his praise above the earth and the heavens.
14 For he hath exalted the [h]horn of his people, which is a praise for all his Saints, even for the [i]children of Israel, a people that is near unto him. Praise ye the Lord.
13 Rejoice, O [a]heavens; and be joyful, O earth; burst forth into praise, O mountains; for God hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, The Lord hath [b]forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
15 Can a woman forget her child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? though they should forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palm of mine [c]hands: thy [d]walls are ever in my sight.
17 Thy builders make [e]haste: thy destroyers and they that made thee waste, are departed from thee.
18 Lift up thine eyes round about and behold: all these gather themselves together and come to thee: as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely [f]put them all upon thee as a garment, and gird thyself with them like a bride.
19 For thy desolations, and thy waste places, and thy land destroyed, shall surely be now narrow for them that shall dwell in it, and they that dwell devour thee, shall be far away.
20 The children of thy barrenness shall say again in thine ears, The place is strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I am barren and desolate, a captive and a wanderer to and fro? and who hath nourished them? behold, I was left alone: whence are these?
22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the [g]Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people, and they shall bring thy sons in their arms: and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
23 And Kings [h]shall be thy nursing fathers, and Queens shall be thy nurses: they shall worship thee with their faces toward the earth, and lick up the [i]dust of thy feet: and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
18 1 The greatest in the kingdom of God. 5 To receive a little child. 6 To give offence. 7 Offences. 9 The pulling out of the eye. 10 The Angels. 11 The lost sheep. 15 The telling of one his fault. 17 Excommunication. 21 We must always pardon the brother that repenteth. 23 The parable of the king that taketh an account of his servants.
1 The (A)same time the disciples came unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2 [a]And Jesus called a [b]little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
3 And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be (B)[c]converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whosoever shall receive one such little child in my Name, receiveth me.
6 (C)[d]But whosoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him, that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7 [e]Woe be unto the world because of offences, for it must needs be that [f]offences shall come, but woe be to that man by whom the offence cometh.
8 (D)Wherefore, if thy hand or thy foot cause thee to [g]offend, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life, halt, or maimed, than having two hands, or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire.
9 And if thine eye cause thee to offend, pluck it out and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
10 [h]See that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their (E)Angels always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
11 For (F)the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12 How think ye? (G)If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave ninety and nine, and go into the mountains, and seek that which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray:
14 So is it not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.