Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
12 My days are like a lengthening shadow,
and I am withering away like grass.
13 [a]But, you, O Lord, are enthroned forever,
and your renown will endure for all generations.
14 You will arise and show mercy to Zion,
for it is time for you to have pity on her;
the appointed time[b] has come.
15 For her stones are precious to your servants,
and her dust causes them to weep.[c]
16 The nations will revere your name,[d] O Lord,
and all the kings of the earth will sing of your glory.
17 For the Lord will rebuild Zion
and reveal himself in all his glory.[e]
18 He will answer the prayer of the destitute,
and he will not ignore their petition.
19 Let this be written[f] for future generations
so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord:
20 “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high
and gazed on the earth from heaven,
21 to hear the sighs of the prisoners
and to set free those under sentence of death.”[g]
22 Then the name of the Lord will be proclaimed in Zion,
and his praise[h] in Jerusalem
23 when all peoples and kingdoms come together
to worship the Lord.[i]
24 [j]He has taken away my strength on my life’s journey;
he has cut short my days.
25 So I said: “Do not carry me off, O my God,
before half my days are done,[k]
for your years endure from age to age.
26 [l]“Long ago you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
27 They will pass away but you endure;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like clothing,
and they will perish.[m]
28 “However, you remain always the same,
and your years will have no end.[n]
Chapter 8
Famine Predicted. 1 Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “You and your household must get up and go to dwell wherever you can, for the Lord has called a famine down upon the land, and it will last for seven years.”
2 The woman rose up and did what the man of God had told her to do. She and her household went and dwelt in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 3 At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines. She went to the king and begged for her house and her land.
4 The king had been talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and he had said, “Please tell me all of the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 Just as he was recounting to the king how he had restored a dead body to life, the woman whose son he had restored to life beseeched the king for her house and her land. Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman whose son Elisha restored to life.”
6 The king questioned the woman about it, and she told him about it. The king assigned an official for her case, saying, “Restore everything to her, including the produce from the field from the day she left the land up until the present.”
Paul’s Second Missionary Journey[a]
36 Paul and Barnabas Separate.[b] After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brethren in all the cities where we proclaimed the word of the Lord so that we can see how they are progressing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul was adamant about not taking with them a man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued to share in their work.
39 As a result, there was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas sailed to Cyprus with Mark. 40 However, Paul chose Silas and set out on his journey, as the brethren commended him to the grace of the Lord.
41 Pastoral Visit to Asia Minor.[c] He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, bringing strength to the churches.
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