Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹² But You, O Lord, are enthroned forever; and the fame of Your name endures to all generations.

¹³ You will arise and have mercy and loving-kindness for Zion, for it is time to have pity and compassion for her; yes, the set time has come [the moment designated].^(A)

¹⁴ For Your servants take [melancholy] pleasure in the stones [of her ruins] and show pity for her dust.

¹⁵ So the nations shall fear and worshipfully revere the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory.^(B)

¹⁶ When the Lord builds up Zion, He will appear in His glory;

¹⁷ He will regard the plea of the destitute and will not despise their prayer.

¹⁸ Let this be recorded for the generation yet unborn, that a people yet to be created shall praise the Lord.

¹⁹ For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary, from heaven did the Lord behold the earth,

²⁰ To hear the sighing and groaning of the prisoner, to loose those who are appointed to death,

²¹ So that men may declare the name of the Lord in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem

²² When peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to worship and serve the Lord.

²³ He has afflicted and weakened my strength, humbling and bringing me low [with sorrow] in the way; He has shortened my days [aging me prematurely].

²⁴ I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days, You Whose years continue throughout all generations.

²⁵ At the beginning You existed and laid the foundations of the earth; the heavens are the work of Your hands.

²⁶ They shall perish, but You shall remain and endure; yes, all of them shall wear out and become old like a garment. Like clothing You shall change them, and they shall be changed and pass away.

²⁷ But You remain the same, and Your years shall have no end.^(C)

²⁸ The children of Your servants shall dwell safely and continue, and their descendants shall be established before You.

8 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, Arise and go with your household and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and moreover, it will come upon the land for seven years.

² So the woman arose and did as the man of God had said. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

³ At the end of the seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to appeal to the king for her house and land.

⁴ The king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me all the great things Elisha has done.

⁵ And as Gehazi was telling the king how [Elisha] had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and land. And Gehazi said, My lord O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life.

⁶ When the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed to her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land even until now.

³⁶ And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit and help and minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along.

³⁷ Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark [his near relative].

³⁸ But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

³⁹ And there followed a sharp disagreement between them, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

⁴⁰ But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favor and mercy) of the Lord.

⁴¹ And he passed through Syria and Cilicia, establishing and strengthening the churches.