Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
David wrote this special song for the music leader. Use the music called Mahalath.
People are wicked[a]
53 A fool thinks that there is no God.
People like that are bad.
They do evil things.
None of them does anything that is good.
2 God looks down from heaven
at the people on earth.
He wants to see if there is anyone who is really wise
and who wants to know God.
3 But they have all turned away.
They have all become evil.
Nobody does anything that is good,
not even one person.
4 People who do wicked things understand nothing.
They destroy my people
as easily as they eat bread.
They never pray to God.
5 But now they are very afraid
when there is nothing to be afraid of!
God has completely won against his enemies,
the people that attack you, his people.
God has turned against them,
so you are able to make them ashamed!
6 God, you are the one who saves your people, Israel!
Leave your home in Zion
and make your people strong again!
When God blesses his people,
Jacob's descendants will sing!
Yes, Israel's people will be very happy![b]
The Sabbath Year
25 Moses was on Sinai's mountain. The Lord spoke to him there. 2 The Lord said, ‘Speak to Israel's people. They will go into the land that I will give to them. Then the land must have a Sabbath rest to the Lord. 3 They can plant seeds in the fields for six years. They can cut the leaves of the plants and they can harvest the fruit for six years. 4 In the seventh year, the land must have a rest. They must not plant seeds in the fields or cut the leaves. 5 They must not harvest fruit or grain. The land must have a year for rest. 6 All of the people can eat anything that grows by itself in the Sabbath year. That will be food for you and for your servants and for your animals. And other people who live among you can eat it. 7 The wild animals also can eat anything that grows by itself in the Sabbath year.
The Jubilee Year
8 The people must count seven lots of Sabbath years. That is 49 years. 9 In the 50th year they must make loud music. They must blow trumpets on the tenth day of the seventh month. That is the Day of Atonement. They must blow the trumpet through all the country. 10 The year will be special. It is a Jubilee year. It is a time for every one of my people to become free. Everyone can return to his own land and to his family. 11 The 50th year is a Jubilee year. The people must not plant any seed in the fields. They must not harvest anything that grows by itself on the bushes. 12 It is a Jubilee year for the people. And they can eat only food that they take from the fields.
13 In the Jubilee year every person must return to the land of his family.
14 If the people buy and sell land from each other, they must be honest with each other. 15 The person who is selling the land will decide the price. He must count the number of years until the next Jubilee year. 16 When there are many years, the price must be big. When there are few years, the price must be small. The number of years that the land will give food to eat is what is important. 17 Be honest with each other and respect God. I am the Lord your God.
18 The people must obey God's rules. If they do, they will be safe. 19 You will be able to grow food on the land. And the people will have plenty to eat. They will be safe.
9 Then the angel said to me, ‘Write down this message: “There will be a special meal at the Lamb's wedding party. God has truly blessed those people that he has asked to come to that meal.” ’ The angel also said to me, ‘This is a true message from God.’
10 Then I bent down low at the angel's feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am only a servant of God, the same as you are. I am a servant, like all believers who show clearly that they trust in Jesus. God is the one that you should worship! When God gave a message to his prophets, it was Jesus that they spoke about.’
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