Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
8 I will listen to God the Lord.
He has ordered peace for his people who worship him.
Don’t let them go back to foolishness.
9 God will soon save those who respect him.
And his greatness will be seen in our land.
10 Love and truth will belong to God’s people.
Goodness and peace will be theirs.
11 On earth people will be loyal to God.
And God’s goodness will shine down from heaven.
12 The Lord will give his goodness.
And the land will give its crops.
13 Goodness will go before God
and prepare the way for him.
Warning to Israel
3 Listen to this message that the Lord has spoken against you, people of Israel. The message is against the whole nation the Lord brought out of Egypt.
2 “I have chosen only you
out of all the families of the earth.
So I will punish you
for all your sins.”
3 Two people will not walk together
unless they have agreed to do this.
4 A lion in the forest will roar
when he has caught an animal.
He does not growl in his den
when he has caught nothing.
5 A bird will not fall into a trap
where there is no bait.
The trap will not spring shut
if there is nothing to catch.
6 When a trumpet blows a warning,
the people tremble.
When trouble comes to a city,
the Lord has caused it.
7 Before the Lord God does anything,
he tells his servants the prophets.
8 The lion has roared!
Who wouldn’t be afraid?
The Lord God has spoken,
and I must prophesy his message.
9 Announce this to the strong towers of Ashdod.
Announce it to the strong cities of Egypt:
“Come to the mountains of Samaria.
There you will see great confusion.
You will see people hurting others.”
10 “The people don’t know how to do what is right,” says the Lord.
“Their strong cities are filled with treasures they took by force from others.”
11 So this is what the Lord God says:
“An enemy will take over the land.
He will pull down your strong towers.
He will take the treasures you hid in your strong cities.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“A shepherd might save from a lion’s mouth
only two leg bones or a scrap of an ear of his sheep.
In the same way only a few Israelites will be saved.
These people now sit on their beds in Samaria.
They sit on their couches.”
What the Christians Are to Do
2 Continue praying and keep alert. And when you pray, always thank God. 3 Also pray for us. Pray that God will give us an opportunity to tell people his message. Pray that we can preach the secret truth that God has made known about Christ. I am in prison because I preach this truth. 4 Pray that I can speak in a way that will make it clear as I should.
5 Be wise in the way you act with people who are not believers. Use your time in the best way you can. 6 When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.
News About the People with Paul
7 Tychicus is my dear brother in Christ. He is a faithful minister and servant with me in the Lord. He will tell you all the things that are happening to me. 8 That is why I am sending him. I want you to know how we are. I am sending him to encourage you. 9 I send him with Onesimus. Onesimus is a faithful and dear brother in Christ. He is one of your group. They will tell you all that has happened here.
10 Aristarchus greets you. He is a prisoner with me. And Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, also greets you. (I have already told you what to do about Mark. If he comes, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also greets you. These are the only Jewish believers who work with me for the kingdom of God. They have been a comfort to me.
12 Epaphras also greets you. He is a servant of Jesus Christ. And he is from your group. He always prays for you. He prays that you will grow to be spiritually mature and have everything that God wants for you. 13 I know that he has worked hard for you and the people in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Demas and our dear friend Luke, the doctor, greet you.
15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea. And greet Nympha and the church that meets in her house. 16 After this letter is read to you, be sure that it is also read to the church in Laodicea. And you read the letter that I wrote to Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus, “Be sure to do the work the Lord gave you.”
18 I, Paul, greet you and write this with my own hand. Remember me in prison. God’s grace be with you.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.