Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 122
A song by David for going up to worship.
1 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let’s go to the house of Yahweh.”
2 Our feet are standing inside your gates, Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built to be a city
where the people are united.[a]
4 All of Yah’s tribes go to that city
because it is a law in Israel
to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.
5 The court of justice sits there.
It consists of princes who are David’s descendants.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper.
7 May there be peace inside your walls
and prosperity in your palaces.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends, let me say,
“May it go well for you!”
9 For the sake of the house of Yahweh our Elohim,
I will seek what is good for you.
Evil Increases on the Earth
6 The number of people increased all over the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of Elohim saw that the daughters of other humans were beautiful. So they married any woman they chose.
3 Then Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not struggle with humans forever, because they are flesh and blood. They will live 120 years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, as well as later, when the sons of Elohim slept with the daughters of other humans and had children by them. These children were famous long ago.
5 Yahweh saw how evil humans had become on the earth. All day long their deepest thoughts were nothing but evil. 6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made humans on the earth, and he was heartbroken. 7 So Yahweh said, “I will wipe off the face of the earth these humans that I created. I will wipe out not only humans, but also domestic animals, crawling animals, and birds. I’m sorry that I made them.” 8 But Yahweh was pleased with Noah.
Noah’s Family and the Ship
9 This is the account of Noah and his descendants.
Noah had God’s approval and was a man of integrity among the people of his time. He walked with Elohim. 10 He had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Faith Directed People’s Lives
11 Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see. 2 God accepted our ancestors because of their faith.
3 Faith convinces us that God created the world through his word. This means what can be seen was made by something that could not be seen.
4 Faith led Abel to offer God a better sacrifice than Cain’s sacrifice. Through his faith Abel received God’s approval, since God accepted his sacrifices. Through his faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 Faith enabled Enoch to be taken instead of dying. No one could find him, because God had taken him. Scripture states that before Enoch was taken, God was pleased with him. 6 No one can please God without faith. Whoever goes to God must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
7 Faith led Noah to listen when God warned him about the things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a ship to save his family. Through faith Noah condemned the world and received God’s approval that comes through faith.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.