Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord Questions Job
38 Then the Lord answered Job from the storm. He said:
2 “Who is this that makes my purpose unclear
by saying things that are not true?
3 Be strong like a man.
I will ask you questions,
and you must answer me.
4 Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off how big it should be?
Surely you know!
6 What were the earth’s foundations set on?
Or who put its cornerstone in place?
7 Who did all this while the morning stars sang together?
Who did this while the angels shouted with joy?
34 “Can you shout an order to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Can you send lightning bolts on their way?
Do the flashes of lightning report to you and say, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who put wisdom inside the mind?
Or who put understanding in the heart?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can pour water from the jars of heaven?
38 Who can do this when the dust becomes hard
and the clumps of dirt stick together?
39 “Do you hunt food for the female lion
to satisfy the hunger of the young lions?
40 Do you hunt for them while they lie in their dens
or hide in the bushes waiting to attack?
41 Who gives food to the birds
when their young cry out to God?
And who gives them food when they wander about without any?
Praise to God Who Made the World
104 My whole being, praise the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with glory and majesty.
2 You wear light like a robe.
You stretch out the skies like a tent.
3 You build your room above the clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot.
You ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers.
Flames of fire are your servants.
5 You built the earth on its foundations.
So it can never be moved.
6 You covered the earth with oceans.
The water was above the mountains.
7 But at your command, the water rushed away.
When you gave your orders like thunder, it hurried away.
8 The mountains rose.
The valleys sank.
The water went to the places you made for it.
9 You set borders for the seas that they cannot cross.
The water will never cover the earth again.
24 Lord, you have made many things.
With your wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.
35 Let sinners be destroyed from the earth.
Let the wicked people live no longer.
My whole being, praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
5 Every high priest is chosen from among men. He is given the work of going before God for them. He must offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He himself is weak. So he is able to be gentle with those who do not understand and who are doing wrong things. 3 Because he is weak the high priest must offer sacrifices for his own sins. And then he offers sacrifices for the sins of the people.
4 To be a high priest is an honor. But no one chooses himself for this work. He must be called by God as Aaron[a] was. 5 So also Christ did not choose himself to have the honor of being a high priest. But God chose him. God said to him,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.” Psalm 2:7
6 And in another Scripture God says,
“You are a priest forever,
a priest like Melchizedek.”[b] Psalm 110:4
7 While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death. And his prayer was heard because he left it all up to God. 8 Even though Jesus was the Son of God, he learned to obey by what he suffered. 9 And he became our perfect high priest. He gives eternal salvation to all who obey him. 10 And God made Jesus high priest, a priest like Melchizedek.
Two Followers Ask Jesus a Favor
35 Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we want to ask you to do something for us.”
36 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They answered, “You will have glory in your kingdom. Let one of us sit at your right, and let one of us sit at your left.”
38 Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink? And can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that I must have?”[a]
39 They answered, “Yes, we can!”
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the same cup that I will drink. And you will be baptized with the same baptism that I must have. 40 But I cannot choose who will sit at my right or my left. These places are for those for whom they are prepared.”
41 The ten followers heard this. They began to be angry with James and John.
42 Jesus called all the followers together. He said, “The non-Jewish people have men they call rulers. You know that those rulers love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their authority. 43 But it should not be that way among you. If one of you wants to become great, then he must serve you like a servant. 44 If one of you wants to become the most important, then he must serve all of you like a slave. 45 In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve. The Son of Man came to give his life to save many people.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.