Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Song of Praise

95 Come, let us sing with joy to the Lord. Let us sing loud with joy to the rock Who saves us. ² Let us come before Him giving thanks. Let us make a sound of joy to Him with songs. ³ For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. ⁴ The deep places of the earth are in His hand. And the tops of the mountains belong to Him. ⁵ The sea is His, for He made it. And His hands made the dry land.

⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us get down on our knees before the Lord Who made us. ⁷ For He is our God. And we are the people of His field, and the sheep of His hand. If you hear His voice today, ⁸ do not let your hearts become hard as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert. ⁹ Your early fathers put Me to the test and tried Me. But they had seen the work I did. ¹⁰ I was angry with the people of that day for forty years. I said, “They always think wrong thoughts. And they do not know My ways.” ¹¹ I was angry with them and said, “They will never go into My rest.”

The Lord Saves

⁸ Do not have joy over me, you who hate me. When I fall, I will rise. Even though I am in darkness, the Lord will be my light. ⁹ I will suffer under the Lord’s anger, because I have sinned against Him, until He speaks for me and does what is fair for me. He will bring me out to the light, and I will see His saving power. ¹⁰ Then the one who hated me will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look on her, and she will be crushed under foot like mud in the streets. ¹¹ It will be a day for building your walls. At that time your land will be made larger. ¹² In that day people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, from Egypt to the Euphrates River, from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain. ¹³ The earth will be laid waste because of its people and the things they have done.

The Lord’s Loving-Kindness for Israel

¹⁴ Shepherd Your people with Your power. Take care of Your chosen flock which lives by itself in the woods, in a field of much fruit. Let them eat in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago. ¹⁵ “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show you powerful works.” ¹⁶ Nations will see and be ashamed of all their power. They will put their hands on their mouths, and will not be able to hear with their ears. ¹⁷ They will eat the dust like a snake, like animals that move along the ground. They will come out of their strong-places shaking with fear. They will come in much fear to the Lord our God, and they will be afraid of You. ¹⁸ Who is a God like You, Who forgives sin and the wrong-doing of Your chosen people who are left? He does not stay angry forever because He is happy to show loving-kindness. ¹⁹ He will again have loving-pity on us. He will crush our sins under foot. Yes, You will throw all our sins into the deep sea. ²⁰ You will be true to Jacob and show loving-kindness to Abraham, as You promised our fathers in days long ago.

²⁶ After they sang a song, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Tells How Peter Will Lie about Him ^(A)

²⁷ Jesus said to them, “All of you will be ashamed of Me and leave Me tonight. For it is written, ‘I will kill the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will spread everywhere.’ ^{(B) 28} After I am raised from the dead, I will go before you into the country of Galilee.” ²⁹ Peter said to Him, “Even if all men are ashamed of You and leave You, I never will.” ³⁰ Jesus said to him, “For sure, I tell you, that today, even tonight, before a rooster crows two times, you will say three times you do not know Me.” ³¹ Peter spoke with strong words, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never say that I do not know You.” All the followers said the same thing.