Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Great Full Life
55 “Listen! Every one who is thirsty, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread? Why spend your pay for what you do not enjoy? Listen well to Me, and eat what is good. Find joy in the best food. 3 Listen and come to Me. Hear, so you may live. And I will make an agreement with you that lasts forever, because of the faithful love promised to David. 4 See, I made him one who told of what he had seen and heard to the nations, a leader and ruler of the people. 5 See, you will call nations that you do not know. And nations that did not know you will run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel. For He has given shining-greatness to you.”
6 Look for the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the sinful turn from his way, and the one who does not know God turn from his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have loving-pity on him. Let him turn to our God, for He will for sure forgive all his sins. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Giving Thanks to God
63 O God, You are my God. I will look for You with all my heart and strength. My soul is thirsty for You. My flesh is weak wanting You in a dry and tired land where there is no water. 2 So I have seen You in the holy place. And I have seen Your power and Your shining-greatness. 3 My lips will praise You because Your loving-kindness is better than life. 4 So I will give honor to You as long as I live. I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul will be filled as with rich foods. And my mouth praises You with lips of joy.
6 On my bed I remember You. I think of You through the hours of the night. 7 For You have been my help. And I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. 8 My soul holds on to You. Your right hand holds me up.
The Danger of Worshiping False Gods
10 Christian brothers, I want you to know what happened to our early fathers. They all walked from the country of Egypt under the cloud that showed them the way, and they all passed through the waters of the Red Sea. 2 They were all baptized as they followed Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 All of them ate the same holy food. 4 They all drank the same holy drink. They drank from a holy Rock that went along with them. That holy Rock was Christ. 5 Even then most of them did not please God. He destroyed them in the desert.
6 These things show us something. They teach us not to want things that are bad for us like those people did. 7 We must not worship false gods as some of them did. The Holy Writings tell us, “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to play.” (A) 8 We must not do sex sins as some of them did. In one day 23,000 died. 9 We must not test the Lord as some of them did. They were destroyed by snakes. 10 We must not complain against God as some of them did. That is why they were destroyed.
11 All these things happened to show us something. They were written to teach us that the end of the world is near. 12 So watch yourself! The person who thinks he can stand against sin had better watch that he does not fall into sin. 13 You have never been tempted to sin in any different way than other people. God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can take. But when you are tempted, He will make a way for you to keep from falling into sin.
Everyone Should Be Sorry for Their Sins and Turn from Them
13 At this time some people came to Jesus. They told Him that Pilate had killed some people from the country of Galilee. It was while they were giving gifts of animals on the altar in worship to God. 2 Pilate put their blood together with the blood of the animals. Jesus said to them, “What about these people from Galilee? Were they worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee because they suffered these things? 3 No, I tell you. But unless you are sorry for your sins and turn from them, you too will all die. 4 What about those eighteen men who were killed when the high building in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were the worst sinners living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you. But unless you are sorry for your sins and turn from them, you too will all die.”
The Picture-Story of the Fig Tree Which Had No Fruit
6 Then He told them this picture-story: “A man had a fig tree in his grape-field. He looked for fruit on it but found none. 7 He said to his servant, ‘See! For three years I have been coming here looking for fruit on this fig tree. I never find any. Cut it down. Why does it even waste the ground?’ 8 The servant said, ‘Sir! Leave it here one more year. I will dig around it and put plant food on it. 9 It may be that it will give fruit next year. If it does not, then cut it down.’”
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