Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song of Praise to God
12 At that time you will say:
“I praise you, Lord!
You were angry with me.
But you are not angry with me now!
You have comforted me.
2 God is the one who saves me.
I trust him. I am not afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, gives me strength and makes me sing.
He has saved me.”
3 You will receive your salvation with joy.
You will take it as you would draw water from a well.
4 At that time you will say,
“Praise the Lord, and worship him.
Tell everyone what he has done.
Tell them how great he is.
5 Sing praise to the Lord, because he has done great things.
Let all the world know what he has done.
6 Shout and sing for joy, you people of Jerusalem.
The Holy One of Israel does great things before your eyes.”
The Lord Will Save His People
14 The Lord says, “Build a road! Build a road! Prepare the way!
Make the way clear for my people.”
15 God lives forever and is holy.
He is high and lifted up, and he says,
“I live in a high and holy place.
But I also live with people who are sad and humble.
I give new life to those who are humble.
I give new life to those whose hearts are broken.
16 I will not accuse forever.
I will not always be angry.
If I continued to be angry, man’s life would grow weak.
Man, whom I created, would die.
17 I was angry because they were dishonest in order to make money.
I punished them and turned away from them in anger.
But they continued to do evil.
18 I have seen what they have done, but I will heal them.
I will guide them and comfort them.
And those who were sad will praise me.
19 I will give peace, real peace, to those far and near.
And I will heal them,” says the Lord.
20 But evil people are like the angry sea.
It cannot rest.
Its waves toss up waste and mud.
21 “There is no peace for evil people,” says my God.
All People Have Done Wrong
18 God’s anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things that people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth. 19 God shows his anger because everything that may be known about God has been made clear. Yes, God has clearly shown them everything that may be known about him. 20 There are things about God that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand. They are made clear by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. 21 They knew God. But they did not give glory to God, and they did not thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness. 22 They said they were wise, but they became fools. 23 They gave up the glory of God who lives forever. They traded that glory for the worship of idols made to look like earthly people. They traded God’s glory for things that look like birds, animals, and snakes.
24 People were full of sin, wanting only to do evil. So God left them to follow their evil desires, and they made one another’s bodies impure by what they did. 25 They traded the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served things that were made by man. But they did not worship and serve the God who made those things. God should be praised forever. Amen.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.