Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 150
150 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary!
    Praise God in his fortress, the sky!
2 Praise God in his mighty acts!
    Praise God as suits his incredible greatness!
3 Praise God with the blast of the ram’s horn!
    Praise God with lute and lyre!
4 Praise God with drum and dance!
    Praise God with strings and pipe!
5 Praise God with loud cymbals!
    Praise God with clashing cymbals!
6 Let every living thing praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
15 I will leave so that I can return to my place
        until they pay for their deeds,
        until they seek me.
    In their distress,
        they will beg for my favor:
6 “Come, let’s return to the Lord;
        for it is he who has injured us and will heal us;
        he has struck us down, but he will bind us up.
2 After two days he will revive us;
        on the third day he will raise us up,
            so that we may live before him.
3 Let’s know, let’s press on to know the Lord;
        whose appearing is as certain as the dawn;
        who will come to us like the showers,
        like the spring rains that give drink to the earth.”
Infidelity and divine retribution
4     Ephraim, what will I do with you?
            Judah, what will I do with you?
    Your love is like a morning cloud,
            like the dew that vanishes quickly.
5     Therefore, I have attacked them by the prophets,
            I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
                and my judgment goes forth like a light.
6     I desire faithful love and not sacrifice,
            the knowledge of God instead of entirely burned offerings.
Greeting
1 From the elder.
To the chosen gentlewoman and her children, whom I truly love (and I am not the only one, but also all who know the truth), 2 because of the truth that remains with us and will be with us forever.
3 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, will be ours who live in truth and love.
Love each other
4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children living in the truth, just as we had been commanded by the Father. 5 Now, dear friends, I am requesting that we love each other. It’s not as though I’m writing a new command to you, but it’s one we have had from the beginning. 6 This is love: that we live according to his commands. This is the command that you heard from the beginning: live in love.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible