Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The King of Peace Is Coming
11 A branch will grow
from a stump of a tree that was cut down.
So a new king will come
from the family of Jesse.[a]
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon that king.
The Spirit gives him wisdom, understanding, guidance and power.
And the Spirit teaches him to know and respect the Lord.
3 This king will be glad to obey the Lord.
He will not judge by the way things look.
He will not judge by what people say.
4 He will judge the poor honestly.
He will be fair in his decisions for the poor people of the land.
At his command evil people will be punished.
By his words the wicked will be put to death.
5 Goodness and fairness will give him strength.
They will be like a belt around his waist.
6 Then wolves will live in peace with lambs.
And leopards will lie down to rest with goats.
Calves, lions and young bulls will eat together.
And a little child will lead them.
7 Cows and bears will eat together in peace.
Their young will lie down together.
Lions will eat hay as oxen do.
8 A baby will be able to play near a cobra’s hole.
A child will be able to put his hand into the nest of a poisonous snake.
9 They will not hurt or destroy each other
on all my holy mountain.
The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord,
as the sea is full of water.
8 And you, watchtower of the flocks,[a] strong city of Jerusalem,
you will be a kingdom as in the past.
Jerusalem, the right to rule will come again to you.”
Why the Israelites Must Go to Babylon
9 Now, why do you cry so loudly?
Is your king gone?
Have you lost your leader?
You are in pain like a woman trying to give birth.
10 People of Jerusalem, be in pain.
Be like a woman trying to give birth.
Now you must leave the city
and live in the field.
You will go to Babylon.
But you will be saved from that place.
The Lord will go there
and take you back from your enemies.
11 But now many nations
have come to fight against you.
They say, “Let’s destroy Jerusalem
and be proud we have defeated her.”
12 But they don’t know
what the Lord is thinking.
They don’t understand his plan for them.
He will crush them like a bundle of grain on the threshing floor.
13 “Get up and crush them, people of Jerusalem.
I will make you strong as if you had horns of iron.
I will make you strong as if you had hooves of bronze.
You will beat many nations into small pieces.
You will give their wealth to the Lord.
You will give their treasure to the Lord of all the earth.”
31 Then Jesus said, “What shall I say about the people of this time? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace. One group of children calls to the other group and says,
‘We played music for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a sad song, but you did not cry.’
33 John the Baptist came and did not eat like other people or drink wine. And you say, ‘He has a demon in him.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating like other people and drinking wine. And you say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine! He is a friend of the tax collectors and “sinners”!’ 35 But wisdom is shown to be right by the things it does.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.