Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise the Lord with Music
150 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his Temple.
Praise him in his mighty heaven.
2 Praise him for his strength.
Praise him for his greatness.
3 Praise him with trumpet blasts.
Praise him with harps and lyres.
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing.
Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.
5 Praise him with loud cymbals.
Praise him with crashing cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!
15 Then I will go back to my place
until the people admit they are guilty.
At that time they must look for me.
In their trouble they must turn to me.”
The People Are Not Faithful
6 You people say,
“Come, let’s go back to the Lord.
He has hurt us, but he will heal us.
He has wounded us, but he will bandage our wounds.
2 In a short while he will put new life in us.
We will not have to wait long for him to raise us up.
Then we may live in his presence.
3 Let’s learn about the Lord.
Let’s try hard to know who he is.
He will come to us
as surely as the dawn comes.
The Lord will come to us like the rain,
like the spring rain that waters the ground.”
4 The Lord says, “Israel, what should I do with you?
Judah, what should I do with you?
Your faithfulness is like a morning mist.
It lasts only as long as the dew in the morning.
5 I have warned you by my prophets
that I will kill you and destroy you.
My judgments will flash forth like lightning against you.
6 I want faithful love
more than I want animal sacrifices.
I want people to know me
more than I want burnt offerings.
Do Not Help False Teachers
1 From the Elder.[a]
To the chosen lady[b] and to her children:
I love all of you in the truth.[c] Also, all those who know the truth love you. 2 We love you because of the truth—the truth that lives in us and will be with us forever.
3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from his Son, Jesus Christ. And may we have these blessings in truth and love.
4 I was very happy to learn about some of your children. I am happy that they are following the way of truth, as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I tell you: We should all love each other. This is not a new command. It is the same command we have had from the beginning. 6 And loving means living the way he commanded us to live. And God’s command is this: that you live a life of love. You have heard this command from the beginning.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.