Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
8 Then God said to Noah and his sons, 9 “I now make my promise to you and to your people who will live after you. 10 I make my promise to all the birds, and to all the cattle, and to all the animals that came out of the boat with you. I make my promise to every living thing on earth. 11 This is my promise to you: All life on the earth was destroyed by the flood. But that will never happen again. A flood will never again destroy all life on the earth.”
12 And God said, “I will give you something to prove that I made this promise to you. It will continue forever to show that I have made an agreement with you and every living thing on earth. 13 I am putting a rainbow in the clouds as proof of the agreement between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth, you will see the rainbow in the clouds. 15 When I see this rainbow, I will remember the agreement between me and you and every living thing on the earth. This agreement says that a flood will never again destroy all life on the earth. 16 When I look and see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the agreement that continues forever. I will remember the agreement between me and every living thing on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This rainbow is proof of the agreement that I made with all living things on earth.”
[a] A song of David.
25 Lord, I put my life in your hands.[b]
2 I trust in you, my God,
and I will not be disappointed.
My enemies will not laugh at me.
3 No one who trusts in you will be disappointed.
But disappointment will come to those who try to deceive others.
They will get nothing.
4 Lord, help me learn your ways.
Show me how you want me to live.
5 Guide me and teach me your truths.
You are my God, my Savior.
You are the one I have been waiting for.
6 Remember to be kind to me, Lord.
Show me the tender love that you have always had.
7 Don’t remember the sinful things I did when I was young.
Because you are good, Lord, remember me with your faithful love.
8 The Lord is good and does what is right.
He shows sinners the right way to live.
9 He teaches his ways to humble people.
He leads them with fairness.
10 The Lord is kind and true to those
who obey what he said in his agreement.
18 Christ himself suffered when he died for you,
and with that one death he paid for your sins.
He was not guilty,
but he died for people who are guilty.
He did this to bring all of you to God.
In his physical form he was killed,
but he was made alive by the Spirit.[a]
19 And by the Spirit he went and preached to the spirits in prison. 20 Those were the spirits who refused to obey God long ago in the time of Noah. God was waiting patiently for people while Noah was building the big boat. And only a few—eight in all—were saved in the boat through the floodwater. 21 And that water is like baptism, which now saves you. Baptism is not the washing of dirt from the body. It is asking God for a clean conscience. It saves you because Jesus Christ was raised from death. 22 Now he has gone into heaven. He is at God’s right side and rules over angels, authorities, and powers.
Jesus Is Baptized by John(A)
9 About that time Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place where John was. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the sky torn open. The Spirit came down on him like a dove. 11 A voice came from heaven and said, “You are my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with you.”
Jesus Goes Away to Be Tempted(B)
12 Then the Spirit sent Jesus into the desert alone. 13 He was there for 40 days, being tempted by Satan. During this time he was out among the wild animals. Then angels came and helped him.
Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee(C)
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee and told people the Good News from God. 15 He said, “The right time is now here. God’s kingdom is very near.[a] Change your hearts and lives, and believe the Good News!”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International