Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 96
1 Sing to Yahweh a new song!
Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!
2 Sing to Yahweh! Praise his name!
Day after day announce that Yahweh saves his people.
3 Tell people about his glory.
Tell all the nations about his miracles.
4 Yahweh is great!
He should be highly praised.
He should be feared more than all other gods
5 because all the gods of the nations are idols.
Yahweh made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are in his presence.
Strength and beauty are in his holy place.
7 Give to Yahweh, you families of the nations.
Give to Yahweh glory and power.
8 Give to Yahweh the glory he deserves.
Bring an offering, and come into his courtyards.
9 Worship Yahweh in his holy splendor.
Tremble in his presence, all the earth!
10 Say to the nations, “Yahweh rules as king!”
The earth stands firm; it cannot be moved.
He will judge people fairly.
11 Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad.
Let the sea and everything in it roar like thunder.
12 Let the fields and everything in them rejoice.
Then all the trees in the forest will sing joyfully
13 in Yahweh’s presence because he is coming.
He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness
and its people with his truth.
King Jeroboam Establishes Idolatry in Israel(A)
20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent men to invite him to the assembly. They made him king of all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David’s dynasty.
21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he gathered all the people of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 of the best soldiers, to fight against the people of Israel and return the kingdom to Rehoboam, son of Solomon.
22 But Elohim spoke his word to Shemaiah, the man of Elohim. He said, 23 “Speak to Judah’s King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, and all the people of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people. 24 This is what Yahweh says: Don’t wage war against your relatives from Israel. Everyone, go home. What has happened is my doing.” So they obeyed the word of Yahweh. They returned home, as Yahweh told them.
25 Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in the hills of Ephraim and lived there. Then he left that place and built Penuel. 26 He said to himself, “The kingdom will probably return to David’s dynasty now. 27 King Rehoboam of Judah, the former master of these people, will regain popularity if they go to sacrifice in Yahweh’s temple in Jerusalem. Then they will kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.”
28 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said, “You’ve been worshiping in Jerusalem long enough. Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.” 29 He put one in Bethel and the other in Dan. 30 Worshiping them became Israel’s sin. The people went as far as Dan to worship the one calf. 31 Jeroboam built worship sites on hilltops. He appointed men who were not descended from Levi to be priests.
32 Jeroboam appointed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival in Judah. He went to the altar in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He appointed priests from the illegal worship sites to serve in Bethel. 33 He went to his altar in Bethel to burn an offering on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the festival he had invented for the Israelites.
Christ’s Love Guides Us
11 As people who know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. God already knows what we are, and I hope that you also know what we are. 12 We are not trying to show you our qualifications again, but we are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us. Then you can answer those who are proud of their appearance rather than their character. 13 So if we were crazy, it was for God. If we are sane, it is for you. 14 Clearly, Christ’s love guides us. We are convinced of the fact that one man has died for all people. Therefore, all people have died. 15 He died for all people so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the man who died and was brought back to life for them.
16 So from now on we don’t think of anyone from a human point of view. If we did think of Christ from a human point of view, we don’t anymore. 17 Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.