Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song of Praise
150 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His holy place! Praise Him in the heavens of His power! 2 Praise Him for His great works! Praise Him for all His greatness!
3 Praise Him with the sound of a horn. Praise Him with harps. 4 Praise Him with timbrels and dancing. Praise Him with strings and horns. 5 Praise Him with loud sounds. Praise Him with loud and clear sounds. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Israel and Judah to Be Free Again
30 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words which I have spoken to you. 3 For the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will bring back My people Israel and Judah from where they are held.’ The Lord says, ‘I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers before them, and it will be theirs.’”
4 These are the words which the Lord spoke about Israel and Judah: 5 “The Lord says, ‘I have heard cries of much trouble, of being afraid, and there is no peace. 6 Ask now and see, can a man give birth to a child? Why do I see every man with his hands on his body like a woman giving birth? Why have all faces turned white? 7 That day will be very bad! There is none like it. It is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he will be saved out of it. 8 On that day,’ says the Lord of All, ‘I will break the cross-bar off from their neck, and will tear off their chains. Strangers will no longer make them their servants. 9 But they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. 10 So do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant,’ says the Lord, ‘and do not be troubled, O Israel, for see, from far away I will save you and your children from the land where they are being held. Jacob will return and have quiet rest, and no one will make him afraid. 11 For I am with you to save you,’ says the Lord. ‘I will make a complete end of all the nations where I have sent you. I will not make a complete end of you, but I will give you the right punishment. I will not let you go without being punished.’
10 This is the way you can know who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. The person who does not keep on doing what is right and does not love his brother does not belong to God. 11 This is what you have heard from the beginning, that we should love each other. 12 Do not be like Cain. He was a child of the devil and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? It was because he did what was sinful and his brother did what was right.
13 Do not be surprised if the world hates you, Christian brothers. 14 We know we have passed from death into life. We know this because we love the Christians. The person who does not love has not passed from death into life. 15 A man who hates his brother is a killer in his heart. You know that life which lasts forever is not in one who kills.
16 We know what love is because Christ gave His life for us. We should give our lives for our brothers.
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