Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Message About Jerusalem
2 Isaiah son of Amoz saw this ·message [vision; word] about Judah and Jerusalem:
2 [L It shall be] In the ·last [final; latter] days
the mountain ·on which the Lord’s Temple stands [L of the house of the Lord; C Mount Zion]
will ·become [be established as; endure as] the ·most important [chief; or highest] of all mountains.
It will be ·raised [exalted] above the hills,
and ·people from all nations [L all nations] will come streaming to it.
3 Many ·nations [peoples] will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the ·Temple [L house] of the God of Jacob.
·Then [or So that] he will teach us his ·ways [standards; path],
and we will ·obey his teachings [L walk in his paths].”
·His teachings [The Law; Instruction; L Torah] will go out from Jerusalem;
the ·message [word] of the Lord will go out from Jerusalem.
4 He will ·settle arguments among [judge/mediate between] the ·nations [peoples]
and will ·make decisions [settle disputes] for many ·peoples [nations].
Then they will ·make [beat; hammer] their swords into ·plows [T plowshares; C the metal tip of the plow]
and their spears into ·hooks for trimming trees [pruning hooks].
Nations will no longer ·fight [L raise the sword against] other nations,
nor will they train for war anymore [Mic. 4:1–3].
5 Come, ·family [descendants; L house] of Jacob,
and let us ·follow the way [L walk in the light] of the Lord.
Happy People in Jerusalem
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of David.
122 I ·was happy [rejoiced] when they said to me,
“Let’s ·go [walk] to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.”
2 Jerusalem, ·we [L our feet] are standing
at your gates.
3 Jerusalem is built as a city
·with the buildings close together [L that is closely tied together].
4 The tribes [C the twelve tribes of Israel] go up there,
the tribes who belong to the Lord.
It is the ·rule [decree; testimony] in Israel
to ·praise [L thank the name of] the Lord at Jerusalem.
5 There ·are set thrones to judge the people [L dwell thrones of judgment],
the thrones of the ·descendants [dynasty; L house] of David.
6 ·Pray [L Ask] for peace in Jerusalem:
“May those who love her ·be safe [prosper].
7 May there be peace within her ·walls [ramparts]
and ·safety [security] within her strong towers.”
8 To help my ·relatives [brothers] and ·friends [neighbors],
I say, “Let ·Jerusalem have peace [L peace be within you].”
9 For the sake of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord our God,
I ·wish [L seek] ·good [prosperity] for her.
11 Do this ·because you know the times in which we live [L knowing the time/season]. It is ·now [or already the] ·time [hour] for you to wake up from your sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night [C a metaphor for the present evil age] is ·almost finished [advancing], and the day [C the time of final judgment and reward] is ·almost here [near; or at hand]. So we should ·stop doing [put aside; cast off] ·things that belong to [L the deeds/works of] darkness and ·take up the weapons [or put on the armor] ·used for fighting in [or that belong to; L of] the light. 13 Let us ·live [walk] ·in a right way [properly; decently], like people who belong to the day. We should not have wild parties or get drunk. There should be no ·sexual sins of any kind [L sexual immorality or debauchery/sensuality], no ·fighting [strife; quarrels] or jealousy. 14 But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and ·forget about satisfying [or give no opportunity to the desires of; or don’t think about ways to gratify] ·your sinful self [the sinful nature; T the flesh].
When Will Jesus Come Again?(A)
36 “No one knows when that day or ·time [hour] will be, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son.[a] Only the Father knows. 37 When the Son of Man comes [Dan. 7:13–14], it will be like what happened during Noah’s time. 38 [L For] In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving their children to be married, until the day Noah entered the boat. 39 They ·knew [understood] nothing about what was happening until the flood came and ·destroyed them [L took/swept them all away]. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes. 40 Two men will be in the field. One will be taken, and the other will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain with a ·mill [handmill; C two large, round, flat rocks used for grinding grain to make flour]. One will be taken, and the other will be left.
42 “So ·always be ready [stay alert; keep watching], because you don’t know the day your Lord will come. 43 ·Remember [Know] this: If the owner of the house knew what time of night a thief was coming, the owner would ·watch [have stayed alert; kept watching] and not let ·the thief break in [L his house be broken into]. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a ·time [hour] you don’t expect him.
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