Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Difference between Good and Sinful People
1 Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. 2 But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. 3 This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him.
4 Sinful men are not like this. They are like straw blown away by the wind. 5 So the sinful will not stand. They will be told they are guilty and have to suffer for it. Sinners will not stand with those who are right with God. 6 For the Lord knows the way of those who are right with Him. But the way of the sinful will be lost from God forever.
The Wine Bottles
12 “So you are to tell this to them: ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, says, “Every jar is to be filled with wine.”’ And when they say to you, ‘Do we not know very well that every jar is to be filled with wine?’ 13 then tell them, ‘The Lord says, “I am about to fill all the people of this land, the kings who sit on David’s throne, the religious leaders, the men of God, and all the people of Jerusalem with too much drink. 14 And I will throw them against each other, both the fathers and sons together,” says the Lord. “I will not let pity or sorrow or loving-kindness keep Me from destroying them.”’”
Pride Comes before Punishment
15 Listen and hear. Do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken. 16 Give honor to the Lord your God before He brings darkness and before you slip and fall on the dark mountains. You hope for light, but He will turn it into darkness and it will be very dark. 17 But if you will not listen, my soul will cry in secret because of your pride. My eyes will cry with a bitter cry and tears will flow down, because the Lord’s people have been taken away in chains. 18 Say to the king and the queen mother, “Come down from your throne. Your beautiful crown has been taken from your head.” 19 The cities of the Negev have been locked up, and there is no one to open them. All Judah has been taken away. All the people of Judah have been taken to another land.
26 “Men and brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and all of you who honor God, listen! This news of being able to be saved from the punishment of sin has been sent to you. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their leaders did not know Him. They did not understand the words from the early preachers. These words were read to them every Day of Rest. But they did the very thing the early preachers had said they would do by handing Him over to die. 28 They could find no reason that He should die, but they asked Pilate to have Him killed. 29 When everything was done that had been written about Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a grave. 30 But God raised Him from the dead. 31 For many days He was seen by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are the ones who tell the people about Him.
32 “We bring you the Good News about the promise made to our early fathers. 33 God has finished this for us who are their children. He did this by raising Jesus from the dead. It is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father.’ (A) 34 God proved that Jesus was His Son by raising Him from the dead. He will never die again. He has said, ‘I will complete the promises made to David.’ (B)
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