Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 96(A)
King of the Earth
1 Sing a new song to the Lord;
let the whole earth sing to the Lord.(B)
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
proclaim his salvation from day to day.(C)
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his wondrous works among all peoples.(D)
4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised;
he is feared above all gods.(E)
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.(F)
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.(G)
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.(H)
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;(I)
bring an offering and enter his courts.(J)
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;(K)
let the whole earth tremble before him.(L)
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.(M)
The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken.(N)
He judges the peoples fairly.”(O)
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and all that fills it resound.(P)
12 Let the fields and everything in them celebrate.
Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy(Q)
13 before the Lord, for he is coming—
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with his faithfulness.(R)
Rehoboam in Jerusalem
20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back,(A) they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel.(B) No one followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone.(C) 21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem,(D) he mobilized one hundred eighty thousand fit young soldiers from the entire house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin(E) to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 22 But the word of God came to Shemaiah,(F) the man of God: 23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to the whole house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you return home, for this situation is from me.’”(G)
So they listened to the word of the Lord and went back according to the word of the Lord.
Jeroboam’s Idolatry
25 Jeroboam built Shechem(H) in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel.(I) 26 Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom might now return to the house of David.(J) 27 If these people regularly go to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem,(K) the heart of these people will return to their lord, King Rehoboam of Judah. They will kill me and go back to the king of Judah.” 28 So the king sought advice.
Then he made two golden calves, and he said to the people, “Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here are your gods[a] who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”(L) 29 He set up one in Bethel,(M) and put the other in Dan.(N) 30 This led to sin;(O) the people walked in procession before one of the calves all the way to Dan.[b](P)
31 Jeroboam also made shrines[c] on the high places(Q) and made priests from the ranks of the people who were not Levites.(R) 32 Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival in Judah.(S) He offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He also stationed the priests in Bethel for the high places he had made.(T) 33 He offered sacrifices on[d] the altar he had set up in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. He chose this month on his own.(U) He made a festival for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.(V)
11 Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord,(A) we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our mind,(B) it is for God; if we are in our right mind,(C) it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all,(D) and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all(E) so that those who live should no longer live for themselves,(F) but for the one(G) who died for them and was raised.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective.[a] Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective,[b] yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;(H) the old has passed away, and see,(I) the new has[c] come!(J)
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