Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Comfort in Trouble from Recalling God’s Mighty Deeds.
For the choir director; [a]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
77 My voice rises to God, and I will (A)cry aloud;
My voice rises to God, and He will hear me.
2 In the (B)day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
(C)In the night my (D)hand was stretched out [b]without weariness;
My soul (E)refused to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, then I am (F)disturbed;
When I (G)sigh, then (H)my spirit grows faint. [c]Selah.
4 You have held my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I (I)cannot speak.
5 I have considered the (J)days of old,
The years of long ago.
6 I will remember my (K)song in the night;
I (L)will meditate with my heart,
And my spirit [d]ponders:
7 Will the Lord (M)reject forever?
And will He (N)never be favorable again?
8 Has His (O)lovingkindness ceased forever?
Has His [e](P)promise come to an end [f]forever?
9 Has God (Q)forgotten to be gracious,
Or has He in anger [g]withdrawn His (R)compassion? Selah.
10 Then I said, “(S)It is my [h]grief,
That the (T)right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11 I shall remember the (U)deeds of [i]the Lord;
Surely I will (V)remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will (W)meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is (X)holy;
(Y)What god is great like our God?
14 You are the (Z)God who works wonders;
You have (AA)made known Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have by Your [j]power (AB)redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and (AC)Joseph. Selah.
16 The (AD)waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were in anguish;
The deeps also trembled.
17 The (AE)clouds poured out water;
The skies (AF)gave forth a sound;
Your (AG)arrows [k]flashed here and there.
18 The (AH)sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The (AI)lightnings lit up the world;
The (AJ)earth trembled and shook.
19 Your (AK)way was in the sea
And Your paths in the mighty waters,
And Your footprints may not be known.
20 You (AL)led Your people like a flock
By the hand of (AM)Moses and Aaron.
Elijah Taken to Heaven
2 And it came about when the Lord was about to (A)take up Elijah by a [a]whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with (B)Elisha from (C)Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “(D)Stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as (E)Bethel.” But Elisha said, “(F)As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 Then (G)the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over [b]you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be still.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please (H)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to (I)Jericho.” But he said, “(J)As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 (K)The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “(L)Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over [c]you today?” And he [d]answered, “Yes, I know; be still.” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please (M)stay here, for the Lord has sent me to (N)the Jordan.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
7 Now (O)fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah (P)took his mantle and folded it together and (Q)struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a (R)double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you (S)see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared (T)a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a [e]whirlwind to heaven. 12 Elisha saw it and cried out, “(U)My father, my father, the [f]chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw [g]Elijah no more. Then (V)he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had (W)struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
15 Now when (X)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him. 16 They said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, please let them go and search for your master; perhaps (Y)the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” 17 But when (Z)they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him. 18 They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”
20 (A)As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “(B)Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus *answered saying to them, “(C)Have faith in God. 23 (D)Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 Therefore I say to you, (E)all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 Whenever you (F)stand praying, (G)forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.