Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
(A special psalm by David.)
The Best Choice
1 Protect me, Lord God!
I run to you for safety,
2 and I have said,
“Only you are my Lord!
Every good thing I have
is a gift from you.”
3 Your people are wonderful,
and they make me happy,[a]
4 but worshipers of other gods
will have much sorrow.[b]
I refuse to offer sacrifices
of blood to those gods
or worship in their name.
5 You, Lord, are all I want!
You are my choice,
and you keep me safe.
6 You make my life pleasant,
and my future is bright.
7 I praise you, Lord,
for being my guide.
Even in the darkest night,
your teachings fill my mind.
8 (A) I will always look to you,
as you stand beside me
and protect me from fear.
9 With all my heart,
I will celebrate,
and I can safely rest.
15 Israel,[a] you grew fat and rebelled
against God, your Creator
you rejected the Mighty Rock,[b]
your only place of safety.
16 You made God jealous and angry
by worshiping disgusting idols
and foreign gods.
17 (A) You offered sacrifices
to demons, those useless gods[c]
that never helped you,
new gods that your ancestors
never worshiped.
18 You turned away
from God, your Creator;
you forgot the Mighty Rock,[d]
the source of your life.
19 You were the Lord's children,
but you made him angry.
Then he rejected you 20 and said,
“You are unfaithful
and can't be trusted.
So I won't answer your prayers;
I'll just watch and see
what happens to you.
21 (B) You worshiped worthless idols,
and made me jealous
and angry!
Now I will send a cruel[e]
and worthless nation
to make you jealous and angry.
22 “My people, I will breathe out fire
that sends you down
to the world of the dead.
It will scorch your farmlands
and burn deep down
under the mountains.
23 I'll send disaster after disaster
to strike you like arrows.
24 You'll be struck by starvation
and deadly diseases,
by the fangs of wild animals
and poisonous snakes.
25 Young and old alike
will be killed in the streets
and terrified at home.
26 “I wanted to scatter you,
so no one would remember
that you had ever lived.
27 But I dreaded the sound
of your enemies saying,
‘We defeated Israel with no help
from the Lord.’ ”
39 Don't you understand?
I am the only God;
there are no others.
I am the one who takes life
and gives it again.
I punished you with suffering.
But now I will heal you,
and nothing can stop me!
40 “I make this solemn promise:
Just as I live forever,
41 I will take revenge
on my hateful enemies.
I will sharpen my sword
and let it flash
like lightning.
42 My arrows will get drunk
on enemy blood;
my sword will taste the flesh
and the blood of the enemy.
It will kill prisoners,
and cut off the heads
of their leaders.”[a]
21 Jesus strictly warned his disciples not to tell anyone about this.
Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death
(Matthew 16.20-28; Mark 8.30—9.1)
22 Jesus told his disciples, “The nation's leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make the Son of Man suffer terribly. They will reject him and kill him, but three days later he will rise to life.”
23 (A) Then Jesus said to all the people:
If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross every day and follow me. 24 (B) If you want to save your life,[a] you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it. 25 What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself or waste your life? 26 If you are ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his glory and in the glory of his Father and the holy angels. 27 You can be sure some of the people standing here will not die before they see God's kingdom.
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