Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 115[a]
115 Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name bring honor,[b]
for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness.[c]
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven.
He does whatever he pleases.[d]
4 Their[e] idols are made of silver and gold—
they are man-made.[f]
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
6 ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell,
7 hands, but cannot touch,
feet, but cannot walk.
They cannot even clear their throats.[g]
8 Those who make them will end up[h] like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[i] and protector.[j]
10 O family[k] of Aaron, trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[l] and protector.[m]
11 You loyal followers of the Lord,[n] trust in the Lord.
He is their deliverer[o] and protector.[p]
12 The Lord takes notice of us;[q] he will bless[r]—
he will bless the family[s] of Israel,
he will bless the family of Aaron.
13 He will bless his loyal followers,[t]
both young and old.[u]
14 May he increase your numbers,
yours and your children’s.[v]
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Creator[w] of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens belong to the Lord,[x]
but the earth he has given to mankind.[y]
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any of those who descend into the silence of death.[z]
18 But we will praise the Lord
now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!
5 At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement,[a] with my tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the Lord my God. 6 I prayed:[b]
“O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt extends to the heavens. 7 From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and[c] priests, have been delivered over by the local kings[d] to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment—right up to the present time.
8 “But now briefly[e] we have received mercy from the Lord our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position[f] in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes[g] and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude. 9 Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us[h] to restore the temple of our God and to raise up[i] its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.
10 “And now what are we able to say after this, our God? For we have forsaken your commandments 11 which you commanded us through your servants the prophets with these words:[j] ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land defiled by the impurities of the local residents![k] With their abominations they have filled it from one end to the other with their filthiness. 12 Therefore do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons, and do not take their daughters in marriage for your sons. Do not ever seek their peace or welfare, so that you may be strong and may eat the good of the land and may leave it as an inheritance for your children[l] forever.’
13 “Everything that has happened to us has come about because of our wicked actions and our great guilt. Even so, our God, you have exercised restraint[m] toward our iniquities and have given us a remnant such as this. 14 Shall we once again break your commandments and intermarry with these abominable peoples? Would you not be so angered by us that you would wipe us out, with no survivor or remnant? 15 O Lord God of Israel, you are righteous, for we are left as a remnant this day. Indeed, we stand before you in our guilt. However, because of this guilt[n] no one can really stand before you.”
16 In a little while you[a] will see me no longer; again after a little while, you[b] will see me.”[c]
17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is the meaning of what he is saying,[d] ‘In a little while you[e] will not see me; again after a little while, you[f] will see me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”[g] 18 So they kept on repeating,[h] “What is the meaning of what he says,[i] ‘In a little while’?[j] We do not understand[k] what he is talking about.”[l]
19 Jesus could see[m] that they wanted to ask him about these things,[n] so[o] he said to them, “Are you asking[p] each other about this—that I said, ‘In a little while you[q] will not see me; again after a little while, you[r] will see me’? 20 I tell you the solemn truth,[s] you will weep[t] and wail,[u] but the world will rejoice; you will be sad,[v] but your sadness will turn into[w] joy. 21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress[x] because her time[y] has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being[z] has been born into the world.[aa] 22 So also you have sorrow[ab] now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.[ac] 23 At that time[ad] you will ask me nothing. I tell you the solemn truth,[ae] whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.[af] 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive it,[ag] so that your joy may be complete.
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