Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A song for those who go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. A psalm of David.
122 I was very glad when they said to me,
“Let us go up to the house of the Lord.”
2 Jerusalem, our feet are standing
inside your gates.
3 Jerusalem is built like a city
where everything is close together.
4 The tribes of the Lord go there to praise his name.
They do it in keeping with the law he gave to Israel.
5 The thrones of the family line of David are there.
That’s where the people are judged.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Say,
“May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace inside your walls.
May your people be kept safe.”
8 I’m concerned for my family and friends.
So I say to Jerusalem, “May you enjoy peace.”
9 I’m concerned about the house of the Lord our God.
So I pray that things will go well with Jerusalem.
11 The earth was very sinful in God’s eyes. It was full of people who did mean and harmful things. 12 God saw how sinful the earth had become. All its people were living very sinful lives. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to everyone. They have filled the earth with their harmful acts. I am certainly going to destroy them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark out of cypress wood. Make rooms in it. Cover it with tar inside and out. 15 Here is how I want you to build it. The ark has to be 450 feet long. It has to be 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for it. Leave below the roof an opening all the way around that is a foot and a half high. Put a door in one side of the ark. Make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring a flood on the earth. It will destroy all life under the sky. It will destroy every living creature that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will make my covenant with you. You will go into the ark. Your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives will enter it with you. 19 Bring a male and a female of every living thing into the ark. They will be kept alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird will come to you. Two of every kind of animal will also come to you. And so will two of every kind of creature that moves along the ground. All of them will be kept alive with you. 21 Take every kind of food that you will need. Store it away as food for you and them.”
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
When the Temple Will Be Destroyed and the Signs of the End
24 Jesus left the temple. He was walking away when his disciples came up to him. They wanted to call his attention to the temple buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” Jesus asked. “What I’m about to tell you is true. Not one stone here will be left on top of another. Every stone will be thrown down.”
3 Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives. There the disciples came to him in private. “Tell us,” they said. “When will this happen? And what will be the sign of your coming? What will be the sign of the end?”
4 Jesus answered, “Keep watch! Be careful that no one fools you. 5 Many will come in my name. They will claim, ‘I am the Messiah!’ They will fool many people. 6 You will hear about wars. You will also hear people talking about future wars. Don’t be alarmed. Those things must happen. But the end still isn’t here. 7 Nation will fight against nation. Kingdom will fight against kingdom. People will go hungry. There will be earthquakes in many places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then people will hand you over to be treated badly and killed. All nations will hate you because of me. 10 At that time, many will turn away from their faith. They will hate each other. They will hand each other over to their enemies. 11 Many false prophets will appear. They will fool many people. 12 Because evil will grow, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who remains strong in the faith will be saved. 14 This good news of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world. It will be a witness to all nations. Then the end will come.
15 “The prophet Daniel spoke about ‘the hated thing that destroys.’ (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) Someday you will see it standing in the holy place. The reader should understand this. 16 Then those who are in Judea should escape to the mountains. 17 No one on the housetop should go down into the house to take anything out. 18 No one in the field should go back to get their coat. 19 How awful it will be in those days for pregnant women! How awful for nursing mothers! 20 Pray that you will not have to escape in winter or on the Sabbath day. 21 There will be terrible suffering in those days. It will be worse than any other from the beginning of the world until now. And there will never be anything like it again.
22 “If the time had not been cut short, no one would live. But because of God’s chosen people, it will be shortened.
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