Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Book 5
Psalms 107—150
God Saves from Many Dangers
107 Thank the Lord because he is good.
His love continues forever.
2 That is what the people the Lord has saved should say.
They are the ones he has saved from the enemy.
3 He has gathered them from other lands,
from east and west, north and south.
17 Some became fools who turned against God.
They suffered for the evil they did.
18 They refused to eat anything.
So they almost died.
19 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
20 God gave the command and healed them.
So they were saved from dying.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
22 Let them offer sacrifices to thank him.
With joy they should tell what he has done.
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and I saw two other men. One was standing on my side of the river. And the other was standing on the far side. 6 The man who was dressed in linen was standing over the water in the river. One of the two men spoke to him. He asked, “How long will it be before these amazing things come true?”
7 The man dressed in linen who stood over the water raised his hands toward heaven. And I heard him make a promise. He used the name of God who lives forever. He said, “It will be for three and one-half years. The power of the holy people will finally be broken. Then all these things will come true.”
8 I heard the answer, but I did not really understand. So I asked, “Master, what will happen after all these things come true?”
9 He answered, “Go your way, Daniel. The message is closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many people will be made clean, pure and spotless. But the wicked will continue to be wicked. And those wicked people will not understand these things. But the wise people will understand them.
11 “The daily sacrifice will be stopped. There will be 1,290 days from that time. Then the horrible thing that destroys will be set up. 12 Those who wait for the end of the 1,335 days will be happy.
13 “As for you, Daniel, go your way till the end. You will get your rest when you die. And at the end you will rise from the dead to get your reward.”
7 In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death. And so we have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace. 8 God gave us that grace fully and freely. God, with full wisdom and understanding, 9 let us know his secret purpose. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ. 10 His goal was to carry out his plan when the right time came. He planned that all things in heaven and on earth would be joined together in Christ as the head.
11 In Christ we were chosen to be God’s people. God had already chosen us to be his people, because that is what he wanted. And God is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants. 12 We are the first people who hoped in Christ. And we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God’s glory. 13 So it is with you. You heard the true teaching—the Good News about your salvation. When you heard it, you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put his special mark on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that he had promised. 14 That Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will get what God promised for his people. This will bring full freedom to the people who belong to God, to bring praise to God’s glory.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.