Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
(A psalm and a song by the clan of Korah.)
The Glory of Mount Zion
1 Zion was built by the Lord
on the holy mountain,
2 and he loves that city
more than any other place
in all of Israel.
3 Zion, you are the city of God,
and wonderful things
are told about you.
4 Egypt,[a] Babylonia, Philistia,
Phoenicia,[b] and Ethiopia[c]
are some of those nations
that know you,
and their people all say,
“I was born in Zion.”
5 God Most High will strengthen
the city of Zion.
Then everyone will say,
“We were born here too.”
6 The Lord will make a list
of his people,
and all who were born here
will be included.
7 All who sing or dance will say,
“I too am from Zion.”
The Lord Will Judge the Nations
3 At that time I, the Lord, will make Judah and Jerusalem prosperous again. 2 Then in Judgment Valley[a] I will bring together the nations that scattered my people Israel everywhere in the world, and I will bring charges against those nations. They divided up my land 3 and gambled to see who would get my people; they sold boys and girls to pay for prostitutes and wine.
4 (A) You people of Tyre and Sidon[b] and you Philistines, why are you doing this? Are you trying to get even with me? I'll strike back before you know what's happened. 5 You've taken my prized possessions, including my silver and gold, and carried them off to your temples.[c] 6 You have dragged the people of Judah and Jerusalem from their land and sold them to the Greeks.
7 But I'll make the people of Judah determined to come home, and what happened to them will happen to you. 8 I'll hand over your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans,[d] who live far away. I, the Lord, have spoken!
Suffering for Being a Christian
12 Dear friends, don't be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through fire. 13 Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when he makes his glorious return.
14 Count it a blessing when you suffer for being a Christian. This shows that God's glorious Spirit is with you. 15 But you deserve to suffer if you are a murderer, a thief, a crook, or a busybody. 16 Don't be ashamed to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God that you belong to him. 17 God has already begun judging his own people. And if his judgment begins with us, imagine how terrible it will be for those who refuse to obey his message. The Scriptures say,
18 (A) “If good people barely escape,
what will happen to sinners
and to others
who don't respect God?”
19 If you suffer for obeying God, you must have complete faith in your faithful Creator and keep on doing right.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.