Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

(By Solomon.)

A Prayer for God To Guide and Help the King

¹⁹ People of Jerusalem, you don't need to cry anymore. The Lord is kind, and as soon as he hears your cries for help, he will come. ²⁰ The Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your food and drink. But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. ²¹ Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.” ²² Then you will treat your idols of silver and gold like garbage; you will throw them away like filthy rags.

²³ The Lord will send rain to water the seeds you have planted—your fields will produce more crops than you need, and your cattle will graze in open pastures. ²⁴ Even the oxen and donkeys that plow your fields will be fed the finest grain.^[a]

²⁵ On that day people will be slaughtered and towers destroyed, but streams of water will flow from high hills and towering mountains. ²⁶ Then the Lord will bandage his people's injuries and heal the wounds he has caused. The moon will shine as bright as the sun, and the sun will shine seven times brighter than usual. It will be like the light of seven days all at once.

¹⁶ Paul got up. He motioned with his hand and said:

People of Israel, and everyone else who worships God, listen! ^17 (A) The God of Israel chose our ancestors, and he let our people prosper while they were living in Egypt. Then with his mighty power he led them out, ^18 (B) and for about 40 years he took care of^[a] them in the desert. ^19 (C) He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and gave their land to our people. ^20 (D) All this happened in about 450 years.

Then God gave our people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel, ^21 (E) but the people demanded a king. So for 40 years God gave them King Saul, the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. ^22 (F) Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, “David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.”

²³ God promised that someone from David's family would come to save the people of Israel, and this one is Jesus. ^24 (G) But before Jesus came, John was telling everyone in Israel to turn back to God and be baptized. ^25 (H) Then, when John's work was almost done, he said, “Who do you people think I am? Do you think I am the Promised One? He will come later, and I am not good enough to untie his sandals.”