Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
21 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
2 (1) Adonai, the king finds joy in your strength;
what great joy he displays in your victory!
3 (2) You give him his heart’s desire;
you don’t refuse the prayer from his lips. (Selah)
4 (3) For you come to meet him with the best blessings,
you place a crown of fine gold on his head.
5 (4) He asks you for life; you give it to him,
years and years forever and ever.
6 (5) Your victory brings him great glory;
you confer on him splendor and honor.
7 (6) For you bestow on him everlasting blessings,
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
8 (7) For the king puts his trust in Adonai,
in the grace of ‘Elyon; he will not be moved.
9 (8) Your hand will find all your enemies;
your right hand will overtake those who hate you.
10 (9) At your appearing,
you will make them like a fiery furnace.
Adonai will swallow them up in his anger;
fire will consume them.
11 (10) You will destroy from the earth their descendants,
rid humankind of their posterity;
12 (11) for they intended evil against you;
but despite their scheme, they won’t succeed.
13 (12) For you will make them turn their back
by aiming your bow at their faces.
14 (13) Arise, Adonai, in your strength;
and we will sing and praise your power.
24 Look! Adonai is stripping
and destroying the land,
turning it upside down
and scattering its inhabitants —
2 cohen and commoner, slave and master,
maid and mistress, buyer and seller,
lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.
3 The land will be completely stripped,
completely plundered,
for Adonai has spoken this word.
4 The land fades and withers,
the world wilts and withers,
the exalted of the land languish.
5 The land lies defiled under its inhabitants;
because they have transgressed the teachings,
changed the law
and broken the everlasting covenant.
6 Therefore a curse is devouring the land,
and its inhabitants are punished for their guilt.
It is why those living there waste away,
and the people left are few.
7 The new wine fails, the vines wilt,
all the revelers sigh,
8 the happy sound of tambourines ceases,
the shouts of merrymakers are stilled,
the joy of the lyre ends.
9 They no longer sing as they drink their wine,
strong liquor tastes bitter to those drinking it.
10 The city of chaos is shattered,
every house closed up; no one can enter.
11 In the streets they are crying over the wine;
all joy has faded, cheer has left the land.
12 In the city, only desolation,
its gates are battered beyond repair.
13 Around the earth, among the peoples,
it will be as when beating an olive tree,
as when gleaning the grapes at the end of the harvest.
14 They lift their voices, singing for joy,
shouting from the west to honor Adonai.
15 So in the east, honor Adonai ;
in the coastlands, honor the name of Adonai,
the God of Isra’el.
16 From the farthest part of the earth
we have heard them sing,
“Glory to the Righteous One!”
But, I say, I’m wasting away,
I am wasting away!
Woe to me! Traitors betray!
Oh, how the traitors betray and betray!
4 Therefore, brothers, just as you learned from us how you had to live in order to please God, and just as you are living this way now, we ask you — indeed, united with the Lord Yeshua, we urge you — to keep doing so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you on the authority of the Lord Yeshua. 3 What God wants is that you be holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4 that each of you know how to manage his sexual impulses in a holy and honorable manner, 5 without giving in to lustful desires, like the pagans who don’t know God. 6 No one should wrong his brother in this matter or take advantage of him, because the Lord punishes all who do such things — as we have explained to you before at length. 7 For God did not call us to live an unclean life but a holy one. 8 Therefore, whoever rejects this teaching is rejecting not a man but God, indeed, the One who gives you the Ruach HaKodesh, which is his.
9 Concerning love for the brothers we do not need to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other; 10 and you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do it even more.
11 Also, make it your ambition to live quietly, to mind your own business and to earn your living by your own efforts — just as we told you. 12 Then your daily life will gain the respect of outsiders, and you will not be dependent on anyone.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.