Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Nation in Trouble Prays
A maskil of Asaph.
74 God, why have you rejected us for so long?
Why are you angry with us, the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember the people you bought long ago.
You saved us. We are your very own.
You live on Mount Zion.
3 Make your way through these old ruins.
The enemy wrecked everything in the Temple.
4 Those who were against you shouted in your meeting place.
They raised their flags there.
5 They came with axes raised
as if to cut down a forest of trees.
6 They smashed the carved panels
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your Temple to the ground.
They have made the place where you live unclean.
8 They thought, “We will completely crush them!”
They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We do not see any signs.
There are no more prophets.
And no one knows how long this will last.
10 God, how much longer will the enemy make fun of you?
Will they insult you forever?
11 Why do you hold back your power?
Bring your power out in the open and destroy them!
12 God, you have been our king for a long time.
You have saved this country.
13 You split open the sea by your power.
You broke the heads of the sea monster.
14 You smashed the heads of the monster Leviathan.
You gave him to the desert creatures as food.
15 You opened up the springs and streams.
And you made the rivers run dry.
16 Both the day and the night are yours.
You made the sun and the moon.
17 You made all the limits on the earth.
You created summer and winter.
18 Lord, remember how the enemy insulted you.
Remember how those foolish people turned away from you.
19 Do not give us, your doves, to those wild animals.
Never forget your poor people.
20 Remember the agreement you made with us
because violence fills every dark corner of this land.
21 Do not let your suffering people be disgraced.
The poor and helpless people praise you.
22 God, come and defend yourself.
Remember the insults that come from those foolish people all day long.
23 Don’t forget what your enemies said.
Don’t forget their roar as they rise against you always.
27 At that time the Lord will judge Leviathan, the gliding snake.
He will punish Leviathan, the coiled snake.
The Lord will use his great sword,
his hard and powerful sword.
He will kill the monster in the sea.
2 In that day
people will sing about the pleasant vineyard.
3 “I, the Lord, will care for that vineyard.
I will water it at the right time.
No one will hurt it.
I will guard it day and night.
4 I am not angry.
If anyone builds a wall of thornbushes in war,
I will march to it and burn it.
5 But if anyone comes to me for safety
and wants to make peace with me,
he should come and make peace with me.”
6 In the days to come, the people of Jacob will be like a plant with good roots.
Israel will grow like a plant beginning to bloom.
Then the world will be filled with their children.
God “Divorces” Israel
7 The Lord has not hurt his people as he hurt their enemies.
His people have not been killed like those who tried to kill them.
8 The Lord will settle his argument with Israel by sending it far away.
Like a hot desert wind, he will drive Israel away.
9 This is how Israel’s guilt will be forgiven.
This is how its sins will be taken away.
Israel will crush the rocks of the altar to dust.
No statues or altars will be left standing for the Asherah idols.
10 At that time the strong, walled city will be empty.
It will be like a desert.
Calves will eat grass there.
They will lie down there.
They will eat leaves from the branches.
11 The limbs will become dry and break off.
Women will use them for firewood.
The people refuse to understand.
So God will not comfort them.
Their Maker will not be kind to them.
12 At that time the Lord will begin gathering his people one by one. He will gather all his people from the Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt. He will separate them from others as grain is separated from chaff. 13 Many of my people are now lost in Assyria. Some of my people have run away to Egypt. But at that time a great trumpet will be blown. And all those people will come back to Jerusalem. They will bow down before the Lord on that holy mountain.
Jesus Goes to the Temple
45 Jesus went into the Temple. He began to throw out the people who were selling things there. 46 He said, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be a house where people will pray.’[a] But you have changed it into a ‘hideout for robbers’!”[b]
47 Jesus taught in the Temple every day. The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and some of the leaders of the people wanted to kill Jesus. 48 But all the people were listening closely to him and were interested in all the things he said. So the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the leaders did not know how they could kill him.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.