Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 80

A Prayer for Restoration

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”^[a] A testimony of Asaph.^(A) A psalm.

The Lord’s Triumph and Reign

14 A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence. ² I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle.^(A) The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be removed from the city.

³ Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations as He fights on a day of battle.^{(B) 4} On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,^(C) which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south. ⁵ You will flee by My mountain valley,^[a] for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled^[b] from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah.^(D) Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with Him.^[c](E)

⁶ On that day there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight^[d] will diminish.^{[e](F) 7} It will be a day known only to Yahweh,^(G) without day or night, but there will be light at evening.

⁸ On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem,^(H) half of it toward the eastern sea^[f] and the other half toward the western sea,^[g] in summer and winter alike. ⁹ On that day Yahweh will become King over all the earth^(I)—Yahweh alone, and His name alone.^(J)

The Call to Sanctification

4 Finally then, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us how you must walk and please God—as you are doing^[a]—do so even more. ² For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

³ For this is God’s will,^(A) your sanctification:^(B) that you abstain^(C) from sexual immorality, ⁴ so that each of you knows how to control his own body^[b] in sanctification and honor, ⁵ not with lustful desires,^(D) like the Gentiles who don’t know God. ⁶ This means one must not transgress against and defraud^(E) his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses,^[c] as we also previously told and warned you. ⁷ For God has not called us to impurity^(F) but to sanctification. ⁸ Therefore, the person who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who also gives you His Holy Spirit.^(G)

Loving and Working

⁹ About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God^(H) to love one another.^{(I) 10} In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers in the entire region of Macedonia.^(J) But we encourage you, brothers, to do so even more, ¹¹ to seek to lead a quiet life,^(K) to mind your own business,^[d] and to work^(L) with your own hands, as we commanded you, ¹² so that you may walk properly^[e](M) in the presence of outsiders^[f] and not be dependent on anyone.^[g](N)

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.^{(O) 14} Since we believe that Jesus died and rose^(P) again,^(Q) in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through^[h] Jesus.^{(R) 15} For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord:^[i](S) We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming^(T) will certainly have no advantage over^[j] those who have fallen asleep.^{(U) 16} For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,^[k](V) with the archangel’s^(W) voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ^(X) will rise first. ¹⁷ Then^(Y) we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds^(Z) to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage^[l] one another with these words.