Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK IV (Psalms 90-106)
A prayer by Moses, the godly man
Life is Short
90 Lord, you’ve been our refuge[a]
from generation to generation.
2 Before the mountains were formed
or the earth and the world were brought forth,
you are God from eternity to eternity.
3 You return people to dust
merely by[b] saying, “Return, you mortals!”
4 One thousand years in your sight are but a single day
that passes by, just like a night watch.
5 You will sweep them away while they are asleep—
by morning they are like growing grass.
6 In the morning it blossoms and is renewed,
but toward evening, it fades and withers.
7 Indeed, we are consumed[c] by your anger
and terrified by your wrath.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
what we have concealed in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass[d] away in your wrath;
our years fade away[e] and end like a sigh.
10 We live for 70 years,
or 80 years if we’re healthy,[f]
yet even in the prime years[g] there are troubles and sorrow.
They pass by quickly and we fly away.
11 Who can know the intensity of your anger?
Because our fear of you matches your wrath,
12 teach us to keep account of our days
so we may develop inner wisdom.
13 Please return, Lord! When will it be?
Comfort your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your gracious love
so we may sing for joy
and rejoice every day.
15 Cause us to rejoice throughout the time when you have afflicted us,
the years when we have known[h] trouble.
16 May your awesome deeds be revealed to your servants,
as well as your splendor to their children.
17 May your favor be on us, Lord our God;
make our endeavors successful;
yes, make our endeavors secure!
Restoration and Redemption
24 Therefore this is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies,
the one who is Israel’s Mighty One, declares:
“Now I’ll get relief from his[a] enemies
and avenge myself on his[b] foes.
25 When I turn[c] my attention to you,[d]
I’ll refine your dross as in a furnace.[e]
I’ll remove[f] all your alloy.
26 Let me restore[g] your judges as at the first,
and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you’ll be called ‘The Righteous City’
and ‘The Faithful City of Zion’.[h]
27 “Zion[i] will be redeemed by justice,
and her repentant ones[j] by righteousness.
28 Rebels and sinners will be broken together,
and those who forsake the Lord will be consumed.
29 They’ll be ashamed of the oak trees
that you desired;
and you’ll blush because of the gardens
that you have chosen.
30 You’ll be like an oak
whose leaf is withering,
like an unwatered garden.
31 Your[k] strong one[l] will be like tinder,
and your work[m] a spark;
both of them will burn together,
with no one to quench the flames that burn[n] them.”
The Sign of Jonah(A)
29 Now as the crowds continued to throng around Jesus,[a] he went on to say, “This people living today are[b] an evil generation. It craves a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah, 30 because just as Jonah became a sign[c] to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. 31 The queen of the south will stand up at the judgment and condemn the people living today,[d] because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. But look, something greater than Solomon is here! 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment and condemn the people living today,[e] because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. But look, something greater than Jonah is here!”
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.