Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord’s Power and Dominion.
97 (A)The Lord [a]reigns, let the (B)earth rejoice;
Let the many [b](C)islands be glad.
2 (D)Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
(E)Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
3 (F)Fire goes before Him
And (G)burns up His adversaries round about.
4 His (H)lightnings lit up the world;
The earth saw and (I)trembled.
5 The mountains (J)melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the (K)Lord of the whole earth.
6 The (L)heavens declare His righteousness,
And (M)all the peoples have seen His glory.
7 Let all those be ashamed who serve (N)graven images,
Who boast themselves of (O)idols;
[c](P)Worship Him, all you [d]gods.
8 Zion [e]heard this and (Q)was glad,
And the daughters of Judah have rejoiced
Because of Your judgments, O Lord.
9 For You are the Lord (R)Most High over all the earth;
You are exalted far (S)above all [f]gods.
10 (T)Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who (U)preserves the souls of His godly ones;
He (V)delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 (W)Light is sown like seed for the righteous
And (X)gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Be (Y)glad in the Lord, you righteous ones,
And (Z)give thanks [g]to His holy name.
Why Israel Fell
7 Now (A)this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, (B)who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, (C)and they had [a]feared other gods 8 and (D)walked in the [b]customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs (E)of the kings of Israel which they had [c]introduced. 9 The sons of Israel [d]did things secretly which were not right against the Lord their God. Moreover, they built for themselves high places in all their towns, from (F)watchtower to fortified city. 10 (G)They set for themselves sacred pillars and [e](H)Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 11 and there they burned incense on all the high places as the nations did which the Lord had carried away to exile before them; and they did evil things provoking the Lord. 12 They served idols, (I)concerning which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” 13 Yet the (J)Lord warned Israel and Judah (K)through all His prophets and (L)every seer, saying, “(M)Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” 14 However, they did not listen, but (N)stiffened their neck [f]like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 (O)They rejected His statutes and (P)His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And (Q)they followed vanity and (R)became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the (S)Lord had commanded them not to do like them. 16 They forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves molten images, even (T)two calves, and (U)made an [g]Asherah and (V)worshiped all the host of heaven and (W)served Baal. 17 Then (X)they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and (Y)practiced divination and enchantments, and (Z)sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him. 18 So the Lord was very angry with Israel and (AA)removed them from His [h]sight; (AB)none was left except the tribe of Judah.
19 Also (AC)Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but (AD)walked in the [i]customs [j]which Israel had [k]introduced. 20 The Lord rejected all the [l]descendants of Israel and afflicted them and (AE)gave them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them [m]out of His sight.
25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “(A)Rabbi, when did You get here?”
Words to the People
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you (B)seek Me, not because you saw (C)signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not (D)work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to (E)eternal life, which (F)the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, (G)has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is (H)the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He (I)has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “(J)What then do You do for a (K)sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 (L)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘(M)He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is [a]that which (N)comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always (O)give us this bread.”
35 Jesus said to them, “(P)I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me (Q)will never thirst.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.