Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Hymn of Thanksgiving
For the director of music. A song of David.
65 God, you will be praised in Jerusalem.
We will keep our promises to you.
2 You hear our prayers.
All people will come to you.
3 Our guilt overwhelms us.
But you forgive our sins.
4 Happy are the people you choose.
You have them stay in your courtyards.
We are filled with good things in your house,
your holy Temple.
5 You answer us in amazing ways,
God our Savior.
People everywhere on the earth
and beyond the sea trust you.
6 You made the mountains by your strength.
You have great power.
7 You stopped the roaring seas,
the roaring waves and the uproar of the nations.
8 Even those people at the ends of the earth fear your miracles.
You are praised from where the sun rises to where it sets.
9 You take care of the land and water it.
You make it very fertile.
The rivers of God are full of water.
Grain grows because you make it grow.
10 You cause rain to fall on the plowed fields.
You soak them with water.
You soften the ground with rain.
And then you bless it.
11 You give the year a good harvest.
You load the wagons with many crops.
12 The desert is covered with grass.
The hills are covered with happiness.
13 The pastures are full of sheep.
The valleys are covered with grain.
Everything shouts and sings for joy.
The Coming Day of Judgment
2 Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem.
Shout a warning on my holy mountain.
Let all the people who live in the land shake with fear.
The Lord’s day of judging is coming.
The Lord’s day of judging is near.
2 It will be a dark, gloomy day.
It will be a cloudy and black day.
Like the light at sunrise,
the great and powerful army will spread over the mountains.
There has never been anything like it before.
And there will never be anything like it again.
3 The army destroys the land
like a burning fire.
The land in front of them is like the garden of Eden.
The land behind them is like an empty desert.
Nothing will escape them.
4 They look like horses.
They run like war horses.
5 Listen to them!
It is like the noise of chariots
rumbling over the mountains.
It is like the noise of crackling flames
burning dry stalks.
They are like a powerful army lined up for battle.
6 Before this army, nations shake with fear.
Their faces become pale.
7 The army charges ahead like soldiers.
They climb over the walls like warriors.
They all march straight ahead.
They do not move off their path.
8 They do not run into each other.
Each one walks in line.
They charge through all efforts to stop them
and stay in line.
9 They run into the city.
They run along the tops of the walls.
They climb into the houses.
They enter through windows like a thief.
10 Before them, earth and sky shake.
The sun and the moon become dark,
and the stars stop shining.
11 The Lord calls out orders loudly
as he leads his army.
That army obeys his commands.
It is very large and powerful.
The Lord’s day of judging
is an overwhelming and terrible day.
No one can stand up against it.
Obey the Teachings
10 But you know all about me. You know what I teach and the way I live. You know my goal in life. You know my faith, my patience, and my love. You know that I never stop trying. 11 You know how I have been hurt and have suffered. You know all that happened to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. You know the hurts I suffered in those places. But the Lord saved me from all those troubles. 12 Everyone who wants to live the way God wants, in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted. 13 People who are evil and cheat other people will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves.
14 But you should continue following the teachings that you learned. You know that these teachings are true. And you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have known the Holy Scriptures since you were a child. The Scriptures are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.