Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God the Judge
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A song of Asaph.
75 God, we thank you.
We thank you because you are near.
We tell about the wonderful things you do.
2 You say, “I set the time for trial.
I will judge fairly.
3 The earth with all its people may shake.
I am the one who holds it steady. Selah
4 I say to those who are proud, ‘Don’t brag.’
I say to the wicked, ‘Don’t show your power.
5 Don’t try to use your power against heaven.
Don’t be stubborn.’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or the desert can judge you.
7 God is the judge.
He judges one person as guilty, and another as innocent.
8 The Lord holds a cup of anger in his hand.
It is full of wine mixed with spices.
He pours it out even to the last drop.
And the wicked drink it all.
9 I will tell about this forever.
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10 He will take all power away from the wicked.
But the power of good people will grow.
41 “Can you catch Leviathan[a] on a fishhook?
Or can you tie his tongue down with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through his nose
or put a hook in his jaw?
3 Will he keep begging you for mercy?
Will he speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will he make an agreement with you?
Will he let you take him as your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet of Leviathan as you would a bird?
Or can you put him on a leash for your girls?
6 Will traders try to bargain with you for him?
Will they divide him up among the traders?
7 Can you stick him with darts until his skin is full of them?
Or can you fill his head with fishing spears?
8 If you put one hand on him,
you will never forget the battle.
And you will never do it again!
9 There is no hope of defeating him.
Just seeing him overwhelms people.
10 No one is brave enough to make him angry.
So who would be able to stand up against me?
11 No one has ever given me anything that I must pay back.
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
13 God made a promise to Abraham. And as there is no one greater than God, he used himself when he swore to Abraham. 14 He said, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”[a] 15 Abraham waited patiently for this to happen. And he received what God promised.
16 People always use the name of someone greater than themselves when they swear. The oath proves that what they say is true. And this ends all arguing about what they say. 17 God wanted to prove that his promise was true. He wanted to prove this to those who would get what he promised. He wanted them to understand clearly that his purposes never change. So God proved his promise by also making an oath. 18 These two things cannot change. God cannot lie when he makes a promise, and he cannot lie when he makes an oath. These things encourage us who came to God for safety. They give us strength to hold on to the hope we have been given. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and strong. It enters behind the curtain in the Most Holy Place in heaven. 20 Jesus has gone in there ahead of us and for us. He has become the high priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek.[b]
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.