Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Call to Praise the Lord
98 Sing a new song to the Lord. For He has done great things. His right hand and His holy arm have won the fight for Him. 2 The Lord has made His saving power known. He has shown to the nations how right and good He is. 3 He has shown His loving-kindness and how beautiful He is to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of our God.
4 Call out for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Sing out loud songs of joy and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the Lord with harps, with harps and the voice of singing. 6 Call out for joy with the sound of horns before the King, the Lord.
7 Let the sea and all that is in it make a loud noise, and the world and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing together for joy 9 before the Lord. For He is coming to say who is guilty or not on the earth. He will be right in what He decides about the world. And He will be fair to the people.
The Lord’s Promise to Zerubbabel
20 The Word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, 21 “Tell Zerubbabel, ruler of Judah, ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will take the power away from kings and destroy the power of the nations. I will destroy war-wagons and their drivers. Horses and their horsemen will fall, every one by the sword of another. 23 On that day,’ says the Lord of All, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will make you like a ring for marking My name. For I have chosen you,’ says the Lord of All.”
1 The church leader writes to the chosen lady and to her children. I love you because of the truth. I am not the only one who loves you. All who know the truth love you. 2 It is because the truth is in us and will be with us forever. 3 Loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace are ours as we live in truth and love. These come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of the Father.
4 I am happy to find some of your children living in the truth as the Father has said we should. 5 And now I ask you, lady, that we have love one for the other. I am not writing to you about a new Law but an old one we have had from the beginning. 6 Love means that we should live by obeying His Word. From the beginning He has said in His Word that our hearts should be full of love.
7 There are many false teachers in the world. They do not say that Jesus Christ came in a human body. Such a person does not tell the truth. He is the false-christ. 8 Watch yourselves! You do not want to lose what we have worked for. You want to get what has been promised to you.
9 Anyone who goes too far and does not live by the teachings of Christ does not have God. If you live by what Christ taught, you have both the Father and the Son. 10 If a person comes to you with some other kind of teaching, do not take him into your home. Do not even greet him. 11 The person who does has a share in his sins.
12 I have many things to write to you. I do not want to write them in this letter. But I hope to come to you soon. Then we can talk about these things together that your joy may be full. 13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.
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