Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God’s Work with Israel

105 O give thanks to the Lord. Call on His name. Make His works known among the people. ² Sing to Him. Sing praises to Him. Tell of all His great works. ³ Honor His holy name. Let the heart of those who look to the Lord be glad. ⁴ Look for the Lord and His strength. Look for His face all the time. ⁵ Remember the great and powerful works that He has done. Keep in mind what He has decided and told us, ⁶ O children of His servant Abraham, O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! ⁷ He is the Lord our God. What He has decided is in all the earth.

⁸ He has remembered His agreement forever, the promise He made to last through a thousand families-to-come, ⁹ the agreement that He made with Abraham, and His promise to Isaac. ¹⁰ He gave it to Jacob as a Law, to Israel as an agreement that will last forever. ¹¹ He said, “I will give the land of Canaan to you as your share,” ¹² when they were only a few men in number and were strangers in it. ¹³ They went from nation to nation, from the people under one king to the people under another. ¹⁴ He did not allow anyone to hold power over them. And He spoke sharp words to kings because of them. ¹⁵ He said, “Do not touch My chosen ones. And do not hurt those who speak for Me.”

¹⁶ Then He called for a time of no food on the land. He cut off all their bread. ¹⁷ He sent a man, Joseph, before them who was sold as a servant. ¹⁸ They hurt his feet with chains. He was put in irons, ¹⁹ until what he had said would happen came to pass. The Word of the Lord tested him. ²⁰ The king sent and had him taken out of prison. The ruler of many people set him free. ²¹ He made him the lord of his house and ruler over all he had. ²² He could punish the rulers as he pleased. And he taught wisdom to the wise. ²³ Then Israel also came into Egypt. So Jacob stayed in the land of Ham. ²⁴ And He made the number of His people grow until they were stronger than those who held power over them.

²⁵ He turned their hearts to hate His people and to make plans against His servants. ²⁶ He sent Moses, His servant, and Aaron whom He had chosen. ²⁷ They did His great works for them to see, powerful works in the land of Ham. ²⁸ He sent darkness and made the land dark. They did not fight against what He told them to do. ²⁹ He changed their water into blood, so their fish died. ³⁰ Their land became covered with frogs, even in the rooms of their kings. ³¹ He spoke and there came many flies all over their land. ³² He gave them hail instead of rain, and lightning like fire in their land. ³³ He destroyed their vines and fig trees and the trees of their country. ³⁴ He spoke and the locusts came. There were too many to number. ³⁵ They ate up all the plants in their country. They ate all the fruit of their land. ³⁶ He killed all the first-born in their land, the first fruits of all their strength.

³⁷ Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold. And there was not one weak person among their families. ³⁸ Egypt was glad when they left. For they had become afraid of Israel. ³⁹ He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light at night. ⁴⁰ They asked, and He brought them quails for meat. And He filled them with the bread of heaven. ⁴¹ He opened the rock and water flowed out. It flowed in the desert like a river.

⁴² For He remembered His holy Word with Abraham His servant.

War against Edom

20 After this the men of Moab, and Ammon, and some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. ² Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “Very many people are coming against you from the other side of the sea, from Syria. See, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is, Engedi).” ³ Jehoshaphat was afraid and decided to call on the Lord. He made a special time of not eating in all Judah. ⁴ And Judah gathered together to pray for help from the Lord. They came to the Lord from all the cities of Judah to call on the Lord.

⁵ Jehoshaphat stood among the people of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, in front of the new open space. ⁶ Then he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? Do You not rule over all the nations? Power and strength are in Your hand, so that no one is able to stand against You. ⁷ O our God, did You not make the people of this land leave so that Your people Israel could have it and give it to the children of Your friend Abraham forever? ⁸ And they have lived in it. They have built You a holy place in it for Your name, saying, ⁹ ‘If what is bad comes upon us, fighting, hard times, disease, or no food, we will stand in front of this house. And we will stand before You, (for Your name is in this house). We will cry to You in our trouble. And You will hear and take us out of trouble.’ ¹⁰ Now see the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel fight when they came from the land of Egypt. (They turned aside from them and did not destroy them.) ¹¹ Look how they are paying us back. They are coming to make us leave Your land which You have given to us. ¹² O our God, will You not punish them? For we have no power against all these men who are coming against us. We do not know what to do. But our eyes look to You.” ¹³ And all the men of Judah were standing before the Lord, with their babies, their wives, and their children.

¹⁴ Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph, as he stood among the people. ¹⁵ He said, “Listen, all Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says to you, ‘Do not be afraid or troubled because of these many men. For the battle is not yours but God’s. ¹⁶ Go down to fight them tomorrow. See, they will come up by the hill of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, in front of the desert of Jeruel. ¹⁷ You will not need to fight in this battle. Just stand still in your places and see the saving power of the Lord work for you, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid or troubled. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you.” ¹⁸ Then Jehoshaphat put his face to the ground. And all Judah and the people of Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. ¹⁹ The Levites, of the Kohathites and Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

²⁰ They got up early in the morning and went out to the desert of Tekoa. When they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and people of Jerusalem. Trust in the Lord your God, and you will be made strong. Trust in the men who speak for Him, and you will do well.” ²¹ When he had spoken with the people, he called those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy clothing. They went out in front of the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord. For His loving-kindness lasts forever.” ²² When they began to sing and praise, the Lord set traps against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah. So they were destroyed.

Jesus Teaches on the Way to Jerusalem

²² Jesus taught the people as He went through the cities and towns on His way to Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved from the punishment of sin?” Jesus said to them, ²⁴ “Work hard to go in through the narrow door. I tell you, many will try to go in but will not be able to go in. ²⁵ The owner of the house will get up and shut the door. You who are on the outside will knock on the door and say, ‘Lord, let us in.’ Then He will say, ‘I do not know you.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with You when You taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you. Go away from Me. You are sinful.’

²⁸ “There will be loud crying and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the early preachers in the holy nation of God, but you will be put out. ²⁹ Those who sit at the table in the holy nation of God will come from the east and west and from the north and south. ³⁰ Listen! Some are last who will be first. Some are first who will be last.”

³¹ That same day some of the proud religious law-keepers came to Jesus. They said, “Go away from here! Herod wants to kill You.”