Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A maskil of Asaph.
78 My people, listen to my teaching.
Pay attention to what I say.
2 I will open my mouth and tell a story.
I will speak about things that were hidden.
They happened a long time ago.
3 We have heard about them and we know them.
Our people who lived before us have told us about them.
4 We won’t hide them from our children.
We will tell them to those who live after us.
We will tell them what the Lord has done that is worthy of praise.
We will talk about his power and the wonderful things he has done.
5 He gave laws to the people of Jacob.
He gave Israel their law.
He commanded our people who lived before us
to teach his laws to their children.
6 Then those born later would know his laws.
Even their children yet to come would know them.
And they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God.
They would not forget what he had done.
They would obey his commands.
8 They would not be like their people who lived long ago.
Those people were stubborn. They refused to obey God.
They turned away from him.
Their spirits were not faithful to him.
9 The soldiers of Ephraim were armed with bows.
But they ran away on the day of battle.
10 They didn’t keep the covenant God had made with them.
They refused to live by his law.
11 They forgot what he had done.
They didn’t remember the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles right in front of their people who lived long ago.
At that time they were living in Egypt, in the area of Zoan.
13 God parted the Red Sea and led them through it.
He made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He guided them with the cloud during the day.
He led them with the light of a fire all night long.
15 He broke the rocks open in the desert.
He gave them as much water as there is in the oceans.
16 He brought streams out of a rocky cliff.
He made water flow down like rivers.
17 But they continued to sin against him.
In the desert they refused to obey the Most High God.
18 They were stubborn and tested God.
They ordered him to give them the food they wanted.
19 They spoke against God. They said,
“Can God really put food on a table in the desert?
20 It is true that he struck the rock, and streams of water poured out.
Huge amounts of water flowed down.
But can he also give us bread?
Can he supply meat for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard what they said, he was very angry.
His anger broke out like fire against the people of Jacob.
He became very angry with Israel.
22 That was because they didn’t believe in God.
They didn’t trust in his power to save them.
23 But he gave a command to the skies above.
He opened the doors of the heavens.
24 He rained down manna for the people to eat.
He gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Mere human beings ate the bread of angels.
He sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He made the east wind blow from the heavens.
By his power he caused the south wind to blow.
27 He rained down meat on them like dust.
He sent them birds like sand on the seashore.
28 He made the birds come down inside their camp.
The birds fell all around their tents.
29 People ate until they couldn’t eat any more.
He gave them what they had wanted.
30 But even before they had finished eating, God acted.
He did it while the food was still in their mouths.
31 His anger rose up against them.
He put to death the strongest among them.
He struck down Israel’s young men.
32 But even after all that, they kept on sinning.
Even after the wonderful things he had done, they still didn’t believe.
33 So he brought their days to an end like a puff of smoke.
He ended their years with terror.
34 Every time God killed some of them, the others would seek him.
They gladly turned back to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock.
They remembered that God Most High had set them free.
36 But they didn’t mean it when they praised him.
They lied to him when they spoke.
37 They turned away from him.
They weren’t faithful to the covenant he had made with them.
38 But he was full of tender love.
He forgave their sins
and didn’t destroy his people.
Time after time he held back his anger.
He didn’t let all his burning anger blaze out.
39 He remembered that they were only human.
He remembered they were only a breath of air
that drifts by and doesn’t return.
40 How often they refused to obey him in the desert!
How often they caused him sorrow in that dry and empty land!
41 Again and again they tested God.
They made the Holy One of Israel sad and angry.
42 They didn’t remember his power.
They forgot the day he set them free
from those who had treated them so badly.
43 They forgot how he had shown them his signs in Egypt.
They forgot his miracles in the area of Zoan.
44 He turned the river of Egypt into blood.
The people of Egypt couldn’t drink water from their streams.
45 He sent large numbers of flies that bit them.
He sent frogs that destroyed their land.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshoppers.
He gave their food to the locusts.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail.
He destroyed their fig trees with sleet.
48 He killed their cattle with hail.
Their livestock were struck by lightning.
49 Because he was so angry with Egypt, he caused them to have great trouble.
In his great anger he sent destroying angels against them.
50 God prepared a path for his anger.
He didn’t spare their lives.
He gave them over to the plague.
51 He killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.
He struck down the oldest son in every house in the land of Ham.
52 But he brought his people out like a flock.
He led them like sheep through the desert.
53 He guided them safely, and they weren’t afraid.
But the Red Sea swallowed up their enemies.
54 And so he brought his people to the border of his holy land.
He led them to the central hill country he had taken by his power.
55 He drove out the nations to make room for his people.
He gave to each family a piece of land to pass on to their children.
He gave the tribes of Israel a place to make their homes.
56 But they tested God.
They refused to obey the Most High God.
They didn’t keep his laws.
57 They were like their people who lived long ago.
They turned away from him and were not faithful.
They were like a bow that doesn’t shoot straight.
They couldn’t be trusted.
58 They made God angry by going to their high places.
They made him jealous by worshiping the statues of their gods.
59 When God saw what the people were doing, he was very angry.
He turned away from them completely.
60 He deserted the holy tent at Shiloh.
He left the tent he had set up among his people.
61 He allowed the ark to be captured.
Into the hands of his enemies he sent the ark where his glory rested.
62 He let his people be killed by swords.
He was very angry with them.
63 Fire destroyed their young men.
Their young women had no one to marry.
64 Their priests were killed by swords.
Their widows weren’t able to weep.
65 Then the Lord woke up as if he had been sleeping.
He was like a warrior waking up from the deep sleep caused by wine.
66 He drove back his enemies.
He put them to shame that will last forever.
67 He turned his back on the tents of the people of Joseph.
He didn’t choose to live in the tribe of Ephraim.
68 Instead, he chose to live in the tribe of Judah.
He chose Mount Zion, which he loved.
69 There he built his holy place as secure as the heavens.
He built it to last forever, like the earth.
70 He chose his servant David.
He took him from the sheep pens.
71 He brought him from tending sheep
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob.
He made him the shepherd of Israel, his special people.
72 David cared for them with a faithful and honest heart.
With skilled hands he led them.
8 1 all of them gathered together. They went to the open area in front of the Water Gate. They told Ezra to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses. The Lord had given Israel that Law so they would obey him. Ezra was the teacher of the Law.
2 Ezra the priest brought the Law out to the whole community. It was the first day of the seventh month. The group was made up of men, women, and children old enough to understand what Ezra was going to read. 3 He read the Law to them from sunrise until noon. He did it as he faced the open area in front of the Water Gate. He read it to the men, the women, and the children old enough to understand. And all the people paid careful attention as Ezra was reading the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra, the teacher of the Law, stood on a high wooden stage. It had been built for the occasion. Mattithiah, Shema and Anaiah stood at his right side. So did Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah. Pedaiah, Mishael and Malkijah stood at his left side. So did Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.
5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him. That’s because he was standing above them. As he opened the book, the people stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord. He is the great God. All the people lifted up their hands and said, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down. They turned their faces toward the ground and worshiped the Lord.
7 The Levites taught the Law to the people. They remained standing while the Levites taught them. The Levites who were there included Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai and Hodiah. They also included Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah. 8 All these Levites read to the people parts of the Book of the Law of God. They made it clear to them. They told them what it meant. So the people understood what was being read.
9 Nehemiah was the governor. Ezra was a priest and the teacher of the Law. They spoke up. So did the Levites who were teaching the people. All these men said to the people, “This day is set apart to honor the Lord your God. So don’t weep. Don’t be sad.” All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy some good food and sweet drinks. Send some of it to people who don’t have any. This day is holy to our Lord. So don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord makes you strong.”
11 The Levites calmed all the people down. They said, “Be quiet. This is a holy day. So don’t be sad.”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink. They shared their food with others. They celebrated with great joy. Now they understood the words they had heard. That’s because everything had been explained to them.
Timothy Brings a Good Report
6 But Timothy has come to us from you just now. He has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have happy memories of us. He has also said that you desire to see us, just as we desire to see you. 7 Brothers and sisters, in all our trouble and suffering your faith encouraged us. 8 Now we really live, because you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you? We thank God because of all the joy we have in his presence. We have this joy because of you. 10 Night and day we pray very hard that we will see you again. We want to give you what is missing in your faith.
11 Now may a way be opened up for us to come to you. May our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus do this. 12 May the Lord make your love grow. May it be like a rising flood. May your love for one another increase. May it also increase for everyone else. May it be just like our love for you. 13 May the Lord give you strength in your hearts. Then you will be holy and without blame in the sight of our God and Father. May that be true when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
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