Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹² But You and Your name, O Lord, will always be forever and to all people for all time. ¹³ You will rise up and have loving-pity on Zion. For it is time to show favor to her. The set time has come. ¹⁴ For Your servants respect her stones and show pity for her dust. ¹⁵ The nations will fear the name of the Lord. All the kings of the earth will fear Your shining-greatness. ¹⁶ For the Lord has built up Zion. He will come in His shining-greatness. ¹⁷ He will answer the prayer of those in need. He will not turn from their prayer.

¹⁸ This will be written for the children-to-come. So a people not yet born may give thanks to the Lord. ¹⁹ For He looked down from His holy place. He watched the earth from heaven, ²⁰ to hear the loud cries of those in prison and to set free those who are being sent to death. ²¹ So the name of the Lord will be made known in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem, ²² when the people gather together and the nations gather to serve the Lord.

²³ He has taken away my strength. He has taken days from my life. ²⁴ I said, “O my God, do not take me away when my days are only half done. Your years go on to all people of all time. ²⁵ You made the earth in the beginning. You made the heavens with Your hands. ²⁶ They will be destroyed but You will always live. They will all become old as clothing becomes old. You will change them like a coat. And they will be changed, ²⁷ but You are always the same. Your years will never end. ²⁸ The children of those who work for You will live on. And their children will be set before You.”

The Shunammite’s Land Given Back

8 Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had brought back to life. He said, “Get ready and go with those of your house. Stay in whatever country you can. For the Lord has called for a time of no food. It will come upon the land for seven years.” ² So the woman got ready as the man of God had told her. She went with those of her house and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years. ³ At the end of seven years she returned from the land of the Philistines. And she went out to ask the king for her house and field. ⁴ Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” ⁵ Gehazi started telling the king how Elisha had brought the one who was dead to life again. Then the woman whose son he had brought back to life asked the king for her house and field. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha brought back to life.” ⁶ When the king asked the woman, she told him what had happened. So the king chose a certain captain to help her, saying, “Give her all that was hers. And give her all the food taken from the field from the day she left the land until now.”

Paul Starts Out the Second Time

³⁶ After awhile, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the Christians in every city where we have preached the Word of God. Let us see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. ³⁸ Paul did not think it was good to take him because he had left them while they were in Pamphylia. He had not helped them in the work. ³⁹ They argued so much that they left each other. Barnabas took John Mark with him and went by ship to the island of Cyprus. ⁴⁰ Paul chose Silas. After the Christians asked for the Lord’s favor to be on Paul and Silas, they went on their way. ⁴¹ They went through Syria and Cilicia making the churches stronger in the faith.