Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Childlike Trust in the Lord
A song for going up to worship. Of David.
131 Lord, my heart is not proud;
I don’t look down on others.
I don’t do great things,
and I can’t do miracles.
2 But I am calm and quiet,
like a baby with its mother.
I am at peace, like a baby with its mother.
3 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord
now and forever.
Warnings About Relying on Egypt
31 How terrible it will be for those people who go down to Egypt for help.
They think horses will save them.
They think their many chariots
and strong horsemen will save them.
But they don’t trust God, the Holy One of Israel,
or ask the Lord for help.
2 But he is wise and can bring them disaster.
He does not change his warnings.
He will rise up and fight against the evil people
and against those who try to help evil people.
3 The Egyptians are only people and are not God.
Their horses are only animals and are not spirit.
The Lord will stretch out his arm,
and the one who helps will stumble,
and the people who wanted help will fall.
All of them will be destroyed together.
4 The Lord says this to me:
“When a lion or a lion’s cub kills an animal to eat,
it stands over the dead animal and roars.
A band of shepherds
may be assembled against it,
but the lion will not be afraid of their yelling
or upset by their noise.
So the Lord All-Powerful will come down
to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.
5 The Lord All-Powerful will defend Jerusalem
like birds flying over their nests.
He will defend and save it;
he will ‘pass over’ and save Jerusalem.”
6 You children of Israel, come back to the God you fought against. 7 The time is coming when each of you will stop worshiping idols of gold and silver, which you sinned by making.
8 “Assyria will be defeated by a sword, but not the sword of a person;
Assyria will be destroyed, but not by a person’s sword.
Assyria will run away from the sword of God,
but its young men will be caught and made slaves.
9 They will panic, and their protection will be destroyed.
Their commanders will be terrified when they see God’s battle flag,”
says the Lord,
whose fire is in Jerusalem
and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
Jesus’ Power Is from God
14 One time Jesus was sending out a demon who could not talk. When the demon came out, the man who had been unable to speak, then spoke. The people were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “Jesus uses the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, to force demons out of people.”
16 Other people, wanting to test Jesus, asked him to give them a sign from heaven. 17 But knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided against itself will be destroyed. And a family that is divided against itself will not continue. 18 So if Satan is divided against himself, his kingdom will not continue. You say that I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons. 19 But if I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons, what power do your people use to force demons out? So they will be your judges. 20 But if I use the power of God to force out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
21 “When a strong person with many weapons guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger comes and defeats him, the stronger one will take away the weapons the first man trusted and will give away the possessions.
23 “Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not work with me is working against me.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.