Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Protects Those Who Trust Him
A song for going up to worship.
125 Those who trust the Lord are like Mount Zion.
It sits unmoved forever.
2 The mountains surround Jerusalem.
And the Lord surrounds his people
now and forever.
3 The wicked will not rule
over those who do right.
If they did, the people who do right
might use their power to do evil.
4 Lord, be good to those who are good,
whose hearts are honest.
5 But, Lord, when you punish those who do evil,
also punish those who stop following you.
Let there be peace in Israel.
10 My child, listen and accept what I say.
Then you will have a long life.
11 I am guiding you in wisdom.
And I am leading you to do what is right.
12 Nothing will hold you back.
You will not be overwhelmed.
13 Always remember what you have been taught.
Don’t let go of it.
Keep safe all that you have learned.
It is the most important thing in your life.
14 Don’t follow the ways of the wicked.
Don’t do what evil people do.
15 Avoid their ways. Don’t go near what they do.
Stay away from them and keep on going.
16 They cannot sleep until they do evil.
They cannot rest until they hurt someone.
17 They fill themselves with wickedness and cruelty
as if they were eating bread and drinking wine.
18 The way of the good person is like the light of dawn.
It grows brighter and brighter until it is full daylight.
19 But the wicked are like those who stumble in the dark.
They can’t even see what has hurt them.
20 My child, pay attention to my words.
Listen closely to what I say.
21 Don’t ever forget my words.
Keep them deep within your heart.
22 These words are the secret to life for those who find them.
They bring health to the whole body.
23 Be very careful about what you think.
Your thoughts run your life.
24 Don’t use your mouth to tell lies.
Don’t ever say things that are not true.
25 Keep your eyes focused on what is right.
Keep looking straight ahead to what is good.
26 Be careful what you do.
Always do what is right.
27 Do not do anything unless it is right.
Stay away from evil.
12 People who have God’s law and those who have never heard of the law are all the same when they sin. Those who do not have the law and are sinners will be lost. And, in the same way, people who have the law and are sinners will be judged by the law. 13 Hearing the law does not make people right with God. The law makes people right with God only if they obey what the law says. 14 (The non-Jews do not have the law. But when they freely do things that the law commands, then they are the law for themselves. This is true even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, just as the law commands. And they also show this by the way they feel about right and wrong. Sometimes their thoughts tell them they did wrong. And sometimes their thoughts tell them they did right.) 16 All these things will happen on the day when God will judge the secret thoughts of people’s hearts. The Good News that I preach says that God will judge everyone through Christ Jesus.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.