Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer to Bring Israel Back
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies of the Agreement.” A psalm of Asaph.
80 Shepherd of Israel, listen to us.
You lead the people of Joseph like a flock.
You sit on your throne between the gold creatures with wings.
Show your greatness 2 to the people of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Use your strength,
and come to save us.
3 God, take us back.
Show us your kindness so we can be saved.
4 Lord God All-Powerful,
how long will you be angry
at the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed your people with tears;
you have made them drink many tears.
6 You made those around us fight over us,
and our enemies make fun of us.
7 God All-Powerful, take us back.
Show us your kindness so we can be saved.
17 With your hand,
strengthen the one you have chosen for yourself.
18 Then we will not turn away from you.
Give us life again, and we will call to you for help.
19 Lord God All-Powerful, take us back.
Show us your kindness so we can be saved.
The Evil Plans of People
2 How terrible it will be for people who plan wickedness,
who lie on their beds and make evil plans.
When the morning light comes, they do what they planned,
because they have the power to do so.
2 They want fields, so they take them;
they want houses, so they take them away.
They cheat people to get their houses;
they rob them even of their property.
3 That is why the Lord says:
“Look, I am planning trouble against such people,
and you won’t be able to save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
because it will be a terrible time.
4 At that time people will make fun of you
and sing this sad song about you:
‘We are completely ruined;
the Lord has taken away my people’s land.
Yes, he has taken it away from me
and divided our fields among our enemies!’”
5 So you will have no one from the Lord’s people
to throw lots to divide the land.
Micah Is Asked Not to Prophesy
6 The prophets say, “Don’t prophesy to us!
Don’t prophesy about these things!
Nothing to make us feel bad will happen!”
7 But I must say this, people of Jacob:
The Lord is becoming angry about what you have done.
My words are welcome
to the person who does what is right.
8 But you are fighting against my people like an enemy.
You take the coats from people who pass by;
you rob them of their safety;
you plan war.
9 You’ve forced the women of my people
from their nice houses;
you’ve taken my glory
from their children forever.
10 Get up and leave.
This is not your place of rest anymore.
You have made this place unclean,
and it is doomed to destruction.
11 But you people want a false prophet
who will tell you nothing but lies.
You want one who promises to prophesy good things for you
if you give him wine and beer.
He’s just the prophet for you.
The Lord Promises to Rescue His People
12 “Yes, people of Jacob, I will bring all of you together;
I will bring together all those left alive in Israel.
I will put them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will be filled with many people.
13 Someone will open the way and lead the people out.
The people will break through the gate and leave the city where they were held captive.
Their king will go out in front of them,
and the Lord will lead them.”
15 “Daniel the prophet spoke about ‘a blasphemous object that brings destruction.’[a] You will see this standing in the holy place.” (You who read this should understand what it means.) 16 “At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains. 17 If people are on the roofs[b] of their houses, they must not go down to get anything out of their houses. 18 If people are in the fields, they must not go back to get their coats. 19 At that time, how terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or have nursing babies! 20 Pray that it will not be winter or a Sabbath day when these things happen and you have to run away, 21 because at that time there will be much trouble. There will be more trouble than there has ever been since the beginning of the world until now, and nothing as bad will ever happen again. 22 God has decided to make that terrible time short. Otherwise, no one would go on living. But God will make that time short to help the people he has chosen. 23 At that time, someone might say to you, ‘Look, there is the Christ!’ Or another person might say, ‘There he is!’ But don’t believe them. 24 False Christs and false prophets will come and perform great wonders and miracles. They will try to fool even the people God has chosen, if that is possible. 25 Now I have warned you about this before it happens.
26 “If people tell you, ‘The Christ is in the desert,’ don’t go there. If they say, ‘The Christ is in the inner room,’ don’t believe it. 27 When the Son of Man comes, he will be seen by everyone, like lightning flashing from the east to the west. 28 Wherever the dead body is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Soon after the trouble of those days,
‘the sun will grow dark,
and the moon will not give its light.
The stars will fall from the sky.
And the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
30 “At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the peoples of the world will cry. They will see the Son of Man coming on clouds in the sky with great power and glory. 31 He will use a loud trumpet to send his angels all around the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from every part of the world.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.