Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
10 “Jerusalem, rejoice.
All you people who love Jerusalem, be happy.
Those of you who felt sad for Jerusalem
should now feel happy with her.
11 You will enjoy her good things and be satisfied
as a child is nursed by its mother.
You will receive her good things
and enjoy her wealth.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“I will give her peace that will flow to her like a river.
The wealth of the nations will come flowing to her.
Like babies you will be nursed and held in my arms.
You will be bounced on my knees.
13 I will comfort you
as a mother comforts her child.
You will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
14 When you see these things, you will be happy.
You will grow like the grass.
The Lord’s servants will see his power.
But the Lord’s enemies will see his anger.
Praise God for Answering Prayers
For the director of music. A song of praise.
66 Everything on earth, shout with joy to God!
2 Sing about his glory!
Make his praise glorious!
3 Say to God, “Your works are amazing!
Your power is great.
Your enemies fall before you.
4 All the earth worships you.
They sing praises to you.
They sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done.
See what amazing things he has done for people.
6 He turned the sea into dry land.
The people crossed the river on foot.
So let us rejoice because of what he did.
7 He rules forever with his power.
He keeps his eye on the nations.
So people should not turn against him. Selah
8 You people, praise our God.
Loudly sing his praise.
9 He protects our lives
and does not let us be defeated.
Help Each Other
6 Brothers, someone in your group might do something wrong. You who are spiritual should go to him and help make him right again. You should do this in a gentle way. But be careful! You might be tempted to sin, too. 2 Help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you truly obey the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks that he is important when he is really not important, he is only fooling himself. 4 He should not compare himself with others. Each person should judge his own actions. Then he can be proud for what he himself has done. 5 Each person must be responsible for himself.
6 Anyone who is learning the teaching of God should share all the good things he has with his teacher.
Life Is Like Planting a Field
7 Do not be fooled: You cannot cheat God. A person harvests only what he plants. 8 If he plants to satisfy his sinful self, his sinful self will bring him eternal death. But if he plants to please the Spirit, he will receive eternal life from the Spirit. 9 We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up! 10 When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.
Paul Ends His Letter
11 I am writing this myself. See what large letters I use. 12 Some men are trying to force you to be circumcised. They do these things so that the Jews will accept them. They are afraid that they will be treated badly if they follow only the cross of Christ.[a] 13 Those who are circumcised do not obey the law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised. Then they can brag about what they forced you to do. 14 I hope I will never brag about things like that. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging. Through the cross of Jesus my world was crucified and I died to the world. 15 It is not important if a man is circumcised or not circumcised. The important thing is being the new people God has made. 16 Peace and mercy to those who follow this rule—to all of God’s people.
Jesus Sends the 72 Men
10 After this, the Lord chose 72[a] others. He sent them out in pairs. He sent them ahead of him into every town and place where he planned to go. 2 He said to them, “There are a great many people to harvest. But there are only a few workers to harvest them. God owns the harvest. Pray to God that he will send more workers to help gather his harvest. 3 You can go now. But listen! I am sending you, and you will be like sheep among wolves. 4 Don’t carry a purse, a bag, or sandals. Don’t stop to talk with people on the road. 5 Before you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with this house.’ 6 If a peaceful man lives there, your blessing of peace will stay with him. If the man is not peaceful, then your blessing of peace will come back to you. 7 Stay in the same house. Eat and drink what the people there give you. A worker should be given his pay. Don’t move from house to house. 8 If you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat what they give you. 9 Heal the sick who live there. Tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is soon coming to you!’ 10 But if you go into a town, and the people don’t welcome you, then go out into the streets of that town. Say to them, 11 ‘Even the dirt from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you.[b] But remember that the kingdom of God is coming soon.’
16 “He who listens to you is really listening to me. He who refuses to accept you is really refusing to accept me. And he who refuses to accept me is refusing to accept the One who sent me.”
Satan Falls
17 When the 72[a] men came back from their trip, they were very happy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we used your name!”
18 Jesus said to the men, “I saw Satan falling like lightning from the sky. 19 Listen! I gave you power to walk on snakes and scorpions. I gave you more power than the Enemy has. Nothing will hurt you. 20 You should be happy, but not because the spirits obey you. You should be happy because your names are written in heaven.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.