Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
ט Teth
65 Lord, be good to me
as you have promised.
66 Increase my knowledge and give me good sense,
because I trust your commands.
67 Before I went through suffering, I went down the wrong path.
But now I obey your word.
68 You are good, and what you do is good.
Teach me your orders.
69 The lies of proud people have taken away my good name.
But I follow your rules with all my heart.
70 Their unfeeling hearts are hard and stubborn.
But I take delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to suffer.
That’s what helped me to understand your orders.
72 The law you gave is worth more to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Shishak Attacks Jerusalem
12 Rehoboam had made his position as king secure. He had become very strong. Then he turned away from the law of the Lord. So did all the people of Judah. 2 They hadn’t been faithful to the Lord. So Shishak attacked Jerusalem. It was in the fifth year that Rehoboam was king. Shishak was king of Egypt. 3 He came with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. Troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites came with him from Egypt. There were so many of them they couldn’t be counted. 4 Shishak captured the cities of Judah that had high walls around them. He came all the way to Jerusalem.
5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah. They had gathered together in Jerusalem. They were afraid of Shishak. Shemaiah said to them, “The Lord says, ‘You have left me. So now I am leaving you to Shishak.’ ”
6 The king and the leaders of Israel made themselves humble in the Lord’s sight. They said, “The Lord does what is right and fair.”
7 The Lord saw they had made themselves humble. So he gave a message to Shemaiah. The Lord said, “They have made themselves humble in my sight. So I will not destroy them. Instead, I will soon save them. Even though I am very angry with Jerusalem, I will not use Shishak to destroy them. 8 But the people of Jerusalem will be brought under his control. Then they will learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.”
9 Shishak, the king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem. He carried away the treasures of the Lord’s temple. He also carried the treasures of the royal palace away. He took everything. That included the gold shields Solomon had made. 10 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to take their place. He gave them to the commanders of the guards who were on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 11 Every time the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards went with him. They carried the shields. Later, they took them back to the room where they were kept.
12 Rehoboam had made himself humble in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord turned his anger away from him. Rehoboam wasn’t totally destroyed. In fact, some good things happened in Judah.
7 Remember your leaders. They spoke God’s word to you. Think about the results of their way of life. Copy their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
9 Don’t let all kinds of strange teachings lead you astray. It is good that God’s grace makes our hearts strong. Don’t try to grow strong by eating foods that the law requires. They have no value for the people who eat them. 10 The priests, who are Levites, worship at the holy tent. But we have an altar that they have no right to eat from.
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Room. He brings their blood as a sin offering. But the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 Jesus also suffered outside the city gate. He suffered to make the people holy by spilling his own blood. 13 So let us go to him outside the camp. Let us be willing to suffer the shame he suffered. 14 Here we do not have a city that lasts. But we are looking for the city that is going to come.
15 So let us never stop offering to God our praise through Jesus. Let us talk openly about our faith in him. Then our words will be like an offering to God. 16 Don’t forget to do good. Don’t forget to share with others. God is pleased with those kinds of offerings.
17 Trust in your leaders. Put yourselves under their authority. Do this, because they keep watch over you. They know they are accountable to God for everything they do. Do this, so that their work will be a joy. If you make their work a heavy load, it won’t do you any good.
18 Pray for us. We feel sure we have done what is right. We desire to live as we should in every way. 19 I beg you to pray that I may return to you soon.
Final Blessing and Greetings
20 Our Lord Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep. The God who gives peace brought him back from the dead. He did it because of the blood of the eternal covenant. Now may God 21 supply you with everything good. Then you can do what he wants. May he do in us what is pleasing to him. We can do it only with the help of Jesus Christ. Give him glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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