Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
77 (0) For the leader. For Y’dutun. A psalm of Asaf:
2 (1) I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God; and he hears me.
3 (2) On the day of my distress I am seeking Adonai;
my hands are lifted up;
my tears flow all night without ceasing;
my heart refuses comfort.
4 (3) When remembering God, I moan;
when I ponder, my spirit fails. (Selah)
5 (4) You hold my eyelids [and keep me from sleeping];
I am too troubled to speak.
6 (5) I think about the days of old,
the years of long ago;
7 (6) in the night I remember my song,
I commune with myself, my spirit inquires:
8 (7) “Will Adonai reject forever?
will he never show his favor again?
9 (8) Has his grace permanently disappeared?
Is his word to all generations done away?
10 (9) Has God forgotten to be compassionate?
Has he in anger withheld his mercy?” (Selah)
11 (10) Then I add, “That’s my weakness —
[supposing] the Most High’s right hand could change.”
12 (11) So I will remind myself of Yah’s doings;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
13 (12) I will meditate on your work
and think about what you have done.
14 (13) God, your way is in holiness.
What god is as great as God?
15 (14) You are the God who does wonders,
you revealed your strength to the peoples.
16 (15) With your arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Ya‘akov and Yosef. (Selah)
17 (16) The water saw you, God;
the water saw you and writhed in anguish,
agitated to its depths.
18 (17) The clouds poured water, the skies thundered,
and your arrows flashed here and there.
19 (18) The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind,
the lightning flashes lit up the world,
the earth trembled and shook.
20 (19) Your way went through the sea,
your path through the turbulent waters;
but your footsteps could not be traced.
21 (20) You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moshe and Aharon.
2 The time came for Adonai to take Eliyahu up into heaven in a whirlwind. Eliyahu and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal, 2 when Eliyahu said to Elisha, “Please wait here, because Adonai has sent me all the way to Beit-El.” But Elisha said, “As Adonai lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Beit-El. 3 The guild prophets of Beit-El came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Adonai is taking your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he answered; “say no more.”
4 Eliyahu said to him, “Elisha, please wait here, because Adonai has sent me to Yericho.” He replied, “As Adonai lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Yericho. 5 The guild prophets of Yericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Adonai is taking your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he answered; “say no more.”
6 Eliyahu said to him, “Please wait here, because Adonai has sent me to the Yarden.” He replied, “As Adonai lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty of the guild prophets went and stood watching them from a distance, while they stood by the Yarden. 8 Then Eliyahu took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it; and the water divided itself to the left and to the right; so that they crossed on dry ground. 9 After they had crossed, Eliyahu said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away from you.” Elisha said, “Please! Let a double share of your spirit be on me!” 10 He replied, “You have requested a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, you will get what you asked for; but if not, you won’t.”
11 Suddenly, as they were walking on and talking, there appeared a fiery chariot with horses of fire; and as it separated the two of them from each other, Eliyahu went up into heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Isra’el!” Then he lost sight of him. Seizing his clothes, he tore them in half. 13 Then he picked up Eliyahu’s cloak, which had fallen off him. Standing on the bank of the Yarden, 14 he took the cloak that had fallen off Eliyahu, struck the water and said, “Where is Adonai, the God of Eliyahu?” But when he actually did strike the water, it divided itself to the left and to the right; then Elisha crossed over.
15 When the guild prophets of Yericho saw him in the distance, they said, “The spirit of Eliyahu does rest on Elisha.” Advancing to meet him, they prostrated themselves on the ground before him 16 and said to him, “Here now, your servants include fifty strong men. Please let them go and look for your master, in the event that the Spirit of Adonai has taken him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.” He answered, “Don’t send them.” 17 But they kept pressing him until finally, embarrassed, he said to send them. So they sent fifty men. For three days they searched, but they didn’t find him. 18 On returning to him where he was waiting in Yericho, he said to them, “I told you not to go, didn’t I?”
20 In the morning, as the talmidim passed by, they saw the fig tree withered all the way to its roots. 21 Kefa remembered and said to Yeshua, “Rabbi! Look! The fig tree that you cursed has dried up!” 22 He responded, “Have the kind of trust that comes from God! 23 Yes! I tell you that whoever does not doubt in his heart but trusts that what he says will happen can say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ and it will be done for him. 24 Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, trust that you are receiving it, and it will be yours. 25 And when you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive your offenses.”
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.