Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Song for the King’s Wedding
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” A maskil. A love song of the sons of Korah.
45 Beautiful words fill my mind.
I am speaking of royal things.
My tongue is like the pen of a skilled writer.
2 You are more handsome than anyone.
You are a very good speaker.
God has blessed you forever.
6 God, your throne will last forever and ever.
You will rule your kingdom with fairness.
7 You love right and hate evil.
So God has chosen you to rule those with you.
Your God has given you much joy.
8 Your clothes smell like myrrh, aloes and cassia.
From palaces of ivory
music comes to make you happy.
9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women.
Your bride stands at your right side
wearing gold from Ophir.
Hosea Buys Gomer Back
3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again. She has had other lovers and has been unfaithful to you. But you must keep on loving her the way the Lord loves the people of Israel. This is true even though the Israelites worship other gods. They love to eat the raisin cakes.”[a]
2 So I bought Gomer for six ounces of silver and about ten bushels of barley. 3 Then I told her, “You must wait for me for many days. You must not be a prostitute. You must not be any other man’s lover. I, in turn, will wait for you.”
4 In the same way Israel will live many days without a king or leader. They will not have sacrifices or holy stone pillars. They will be without the holy vest or an idol. 5 After this, the people of Israel will return to the Lord their God. They will follow the Lord and the king from David’s family. In the last days they will come to the Lord. And he will bless them.
Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas’ house to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. The Jews would not go inside the palace. They did not want to make themselves unclean,[a] because they wanted to eat the Passover meal. 29 So Pilate went outside to them. He asked, “What charges do you bring against this man?”
30 They answered, “He is a criminal. That is why we brought him to you.”
31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
They answered, “But we are not allowed to put anyone to death.” 32 (This happened so that what Jesus had said about how he would die would come true.)
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.