Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
23 So be happy, people of Jerusalem.
Be joyful in the Lord your God.
He will do what is right
and will give you rain.
He will send the early rain
and the late rain for you, as before.
24 And the threshing floors will be full of wheat.
And the barrels will overflow with wine and olive oil.
The Lord Speaks
25 “I sent my great army against you.
Those swarming locusts and the hopping locusts,
the destroying locusts and the cutting locusts[a] ate your crops.
But I will pay you back
for those years of trouble.
26 Then you will have plenty to eat.
You will be full.
You will praise the name of the Lord your God.
He has done miracles for you.
My people will never again be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am among the people of Israel.
You will know that I am the Lord your God.
There is no other God.
My people will never be shamed again.
28 “After this,
I will give my Spirit freely to all kinds of people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions.
29 At that time I will give my Spirit
even to servants, both men and women.
30 I will show miracles
in the sky and on the earth:
blood, fire and thick smoke.
31 The sun will become dark.
The moon will become red as blood.
And then the Lord’s overwhelming and terrible day of judging will come.
32 Then anyone who asks the Lord for help
will be saved.
Even on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be people who will be saved.
This will happen just as the Lord has said.
Those left alive after the day of punishment
are the people whom the Lord called.
A Hymn of Thanksgiving
For the director of music. A song of David.
65 God, you will be praised in Jerusalem.
We will keep our promises to you.
2 You hear our prayers.
All people will come to you.
3 Our guilt overwhelms us.
But you forgive our sins.
4 Happy are the people you choose.
You have them stay in your courtyards.
We are filled with good things in your house,
your holy Temple.
5 You answer us in amazing ways,
God our Savior.
People everywhere on the earth
and beyond the sea trust you.
6 You made the mountains by your strength.
You have great power.
7 You stopped the roaring seas,
the roaring waves and the uproar of the nations.
8 Even those people at the ends of the earth fear your miracles.
You are praised from where the sun rises to where it sets.
9 You take care of the land and water it.
You make it very fertile.
The rivers of God are full of water.
Grain grows because you make it grow.
10 You cause rain to fall on the plowed fields.
You soak them with water.
You soften the ground with rain.
And then you bless it.
11 You give the year a good harvest.
You load the wagons with many crops.
12 The desert is covered with grass.
The hills are covered with happiness.
13 The pastures are full of sheep.
The valleys are covered with grain.
Everything shouts and sings for joy.
6 My life is being given as an offering to God. The time has come for me to leave this life. 7 I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. 8 Now, a crown is waiting for me. I will get that crown for being right with God. The Lord is the judge who judges rightly, and he will give me the crown on that Day.[a] He will give that crown not only to me but to all those who have waited with love for him to come again.
16 The first time I defended myself, no one helped me. Everyone left me. I pray that God will forgive them. 17 But the Lord stayed with me. He gave me strength so that I could fully tell the Good News to the non-Jews. The Lord wanted all the non-Jews to hear it. So I was saved from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will save me when anyone tries to hurt me. The Lord will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory forever and ever be the Lord’s. Amen.
Being Right with God
9 There were some people who thought that they were very good and looked down on everyone else. Jesus used this story to teach them: 10 “One day there was a Pharisee and a tax collector. Both went to the Temple to pray. 11 The Pharisee stood alone, away from the tax collector. When the Pharisee prayed, he said, ‘God, I thank you that I am not as bad as other people. I am not like men who steal, cheat, or take part in adultery. I thank you that I am better than this tax collector. 12 I give up eating[a] twice a week, and I give one-tenth of everything I earn!’
13 “The tax collector stood at a distance. When he prayed, he would not even look up to heaven. He beat on his chest because he was so sad. He said, ‘God, have mercy on me. I am a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, when this man went home, he was right with God. But the Pharisee was not right with God. Everyone who makes himself great will be made humble. But everyone who makes himself humble will be made great.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.