Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God’s Love for Israel
11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him.
And I called my son out of Egypt.
2 But the more I called to the people of Israel,
the further they went from me.
They offered sacrifices to the Baals.
They burned incense to the idols.
3 But it was I who taught Israel to walk.
I took them by the arms.
But they did not understand
that I had healed them.
4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
with ties of love.
I lifted the yoke from their neck.
I bent down and fed them.
5 “The Israelites will become captives again, as they were in Egypt.
The king of Assyria will become their king.
This is because they refuse to turn to God.
6 War will sweep through their cities.
It will destroy them,
because of their wicked plans.
7 My people have made up their minds
to turn away from me.
The prophets call them to turn to me.
But none of them honors me at all.
8 “Israel, I don’t want to give you up.
I don’t want to go away and leave you.
I don’t want to make you like Admah.
I don’t want to treat you like Zeboiim.[a]
My heart beats for you.
My love for you stirs up my pity.
9 I won’t punish you in my anger.
I won’t destroy Israel again.
I am God and not man.
I am the Holy One, and I am among you.
I will not come against you in anger.
10 I will call for my people like
a lion calling for its young.
My children will come and follow me.
They will hurry to me from the west.
11 They will come swiftly
like birds from a captivity like Egypt was,
and like doves from Assyria.
I will settle them again in their homes,”
says the Lord.
Book 5
Psalms 107—150
God Saves from Many Dangers
107 Thank the Lord because he is good.
His love continues forever.
2 That is what the people the Lord has saved should say.
They are the ones he has saved from the enemy.
3 He has gathered them from other lands,
from east and west, north and south.
4 Some people had wandered in the desert lands.
They found no city to live in.
5 They were hungry and thirsty.
They were discouraged.
6 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
7 He led them on a straight road
to a city where they could live.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
9 He satisfies the thirsty.
He fills up the hungry.
43 Whoever is wise will remember these things.
He will think about the love of the Lord.
Your New Life in Christ
3 You were raised from death with Christ. So aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Think only about the things in heaven, not the things on earth. 3 Your old sinful self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. 4 Christ is your[a] life. When he comes again, you will share in his glory.
5 So put all evil things out of your life. Get rid of sexual immorality and impure acts. Don’t let your feelings get out of control. Remove from your life all evil desires. Stop always wanting more and more. This really means living to serve a false god. 6 These things make God angry.[b] 7 In your evil life in the past, you also did these things.
8 But now put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and using evil words when you talk. 9 Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. 10 You have begun to live the new life. In your new life you are being made new. You are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God. 11 In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews. There is no difference between those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or people that are foreigners, or Scythians.[c] There is no difference between slaves and free people. But Christ is in all believers. And Christ is all that is important.
Jesus Warns Against Selfishness
13 One of the men in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.”
14 But Jesus said to him, “Who said that I should be your judge or decide how to divide the property between you two?” 15 Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. A man’s life is not measured by the many things he owns.”
16 Then Jesus used this story: “There was a rich man who had some land, which grew a good crop of food. 17 The rich man thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to keep all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones! I will put all my grain and other goods together in my new barns. 19 Then I can say to myself, I have enough good things stored to last for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!’
20 “But God said to that man, ‘Foolish man! Tonight you will die. So who will get those things you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be for anyone who stores things up only for himself and is not rich toward God.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.