Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
4 Hear the word of the Lord, family of Jacob.
Hear the message, all you family groups of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“I was fair to your ancestors.
Why did they turn away from me?
Your ancestors worshiped useless idols.
And they became useless themselves.
6 Your ancestors didn’t say,
‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt.
He led us through the desert.
He led us through a dry and rocky land.
He led us through a dark and dangerous land.
He led us where no one travels or lives.
But where is he now?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land.
I did this so you could eat its fruit and produce.
But you came and made my land unclean.
You made it a hated place.
8 The priests didn’t ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
The people who know the teachings didn’t know me.
The leaders turned against me.
The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal.
They worshiped useless idols.
9 “So now I will again tell what I have against you,” says the Lord.
“And I will tell what I have against your grandchildren.
10 Go across the sea to the island of Cyprus and see.
Send someone to the land of Kedar to look closely.
See if there has ever been anything like this!
11 Has a nation ever exchanged their old gods for new ones?
(Of course, their gods are not really gods at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious God
for idols worth nothing!
12 Skies, be shocked at the things that have happened.
Shake with great fear!” says the Lord.
13 “My people have done two sins.
They have turned away from me.
And I am the spring of living water.
And they have dug their own wells.
But they are broken wells that cannot hold water.
A Song for a Holiday
For the director of music. By the gittith. A song of Asaph.
81 Sing for joy to God, our strength.
Shout out loud to the God of Jacob.
10 I, the Lord, am your God.
I brought you out of Egypt.
Open your mouth, and I will feed you.
11 “But my people did not listen to me.
Israel did not want me.
12 So I let them go their stubborn way.
They followed their own advice.
13 I wish my people would listen to me.
I wish Israel would live my way.
14 Then I would quickly defeat their enemies.
I would turn my hand against those who are against them.
15 Those who hate the Lord would bow before him.
Their punishment would continue forever.
16 But I would give you the finest wheat.
I would fill you with honey from the rocks.”
13 Keep on loving each other as brothers in Christ. 2 Remember to welcome strangers into your homes. Some people have done this and have welcomed angels without knowing it. 3 Do not forget those who are in prison. Remember them as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering as if you were suffering with them.
4 Marriage should be honored by everyone. Husband and wife should keep their marriage pure. God will judge guilty those who are sexually immoral and commit adultery. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,
“I will never leave you;
I will never abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
6 So we can feel sure and say,
“I will not be afraid because the Lord is my helper.
People can’t do anything to me.” Psalm 118:6
7 Remember your leaders. They taught God’s message to you. Remember how they lived and died, and copy their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
15 So through Jesus let us always offer our sacrifice to God. This sacrifice is our praise, coming from lips that speak his name. 16 Do not forget to do good to others. And share with them what you have. These are the sacrifices that please God.
Is It Right to Heal on the Sabbath?
14 On a Sabbath day, Jesus went to the home of a leading Pharisee to eat with him. The people there were all watching Jesus very closely.
Don’t Make Yourself Important
7 Then Jesus noticed that some of the guests were choosing the best places to sit. So Jesus told this story: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, don’t take the most important seat. The host may have invited someone more important than you. 9 And if you are sitting in the most important seat, the host will come to you and say, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then you will begin to move down to the last place. And you will be very embarrassed. 10 So when you are invited, go sit in a seat that is not important. Then the host will come to you and say, ‘Friend, move up here to a more important place!’ Then all the other guests will respect you. 11 Everyone who makes himself great will be made humble. But the person who makes himself humble will be made great.”
You Will Be Rewarded
12 Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, don’t invite only your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. At another time they will invite you to eat with them. Then you will have your reward. 13 Instead, when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. 14 Then you will be blessed, because they cannot pay you back. They have nothing. But you will be rewarded when the good people rise from death.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.