Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

(A song by David for worship.)

A Song of Praise

^11-12 God knew that everyone was terribly cruel and violent. ¹³ So he told Noah:

Cruelty and violence have spread everywhere. Now I'm going to destroy the whole earth and all its people. ¹⁴ Get some good lumber and build a boat. Put rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out. ¹⁵ Make it 133 meters long, 22 meters wide, and 13 meters high. ¹⁶ Build a roof^[a] on the boat and leave a space of about 44 centimeters between the roof and the sides.^[b] Make the boat three stories high and put a door on one side.

¹⁷ I'm going to send a flood that will destroy everything that breathes! Nothing will be left alive. ¹⁸ But I solemnly promise that you, your wife, your sons, and your daughters-in-law will be kept safe in the boat.^[c]

^19-20 Take into the boat with you a male and a female of every kind of animal and bird, as well as a male and a female of every reptile. I don't want them to be destroyed. ²¹ Store up enough food both for yourself and for them.

^22 (A) Noah did everything God told him to do.

The Temple Will Be Destroyed

(Mark 13.1,2; Luke 21.5,6)

24 After Jesus left the temple, his disciples came over and said, “Look at all these buildings!”

² Jesus replied, “Do you see these buildings? They will certainly be torn down! Not one stone will be left in place.”

Warning about Trouble

(Mark 13.3-13; Luke 21.7-19)

^3 (A) Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”

⁴ Jesus answered:

Don't let anyone fool you. ⁵ Many will come and claim to be me. They will say they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

⁶ You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. ^7 (B) Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. ⁸ But this is just the beginning of troubles.

^9 (C) You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. ¹⁰ Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. ¹¹ Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. ¹² Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. ^13 (D) But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. ¹⁴ When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.

The Horrible Thing

(Mark 13.14-23; Luke 21.20-24)

^15 (E) Someday you will see that “Horrible Thing” in the holy place, just as the prophet Daniel said. Everyone who reads this must try to understand! ¹⁶ If you are living in Judea at that time, run to the mountains. ^17 (F) If you are on the roof^[a] of your house, don't go inside to get anything. ¹⁸ If you are out in the field, don't go back for your coat. ¹⁹ It will be a terrible time for women who are expecting babies or nursing young children. ²⁰ And pray that you won't have to escape in winter or on a Sabbath.^{[b] 21 (G)} This will be the worst time of suffering since the beginning of the world, and nothing this terrible will ever happen again. ²² If God doesn't make the time shorter, no one will be left alive. But because of God's chosen ones, he will make the time shorter.