Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Jerusalem, the City of God
A psalm of the sons of Korah.
48 The Lord is great; he should be praised
in the city of our God, on his holy mountain.
2 It is high and beautiful
and brings joy to the whole world.
Mount Zion is like the high mountains of the north;
it is the city of the Great King.
3 God is within its palaces;
he is known as its defender.
4 Kings joined together
and came to attack the city.
5 But when they saw it, they were amazed.
They ran away in fear.
6 Fear took hold of them;
they hurt like a woman having a baby.
7 You destroyed the large trading ships
with an east wind.
8 First we heard
and now we have seen
that God will always keep his city safe.
It is the city of the Lord All-Powerful,
the city of our God. Selah
9 God, we come into your Temple
to think about your love.
10 God, your name is known everywhere;
all over the earth people praise you.
Your right hand is full of goodness.
11 Mount Zion is happy
and all the towns of Judah rejoice,
because your decisions are fair.
12 Walk around Jerusalem
and count its towers.
13 Notice how strong they are.
Look at the palaces.
Then you can tell your children about them.
14 This God is our God forever and ever.
He will guide us from now on.
The Lord Restores the Land
18 Then the Lord became concerned about his land
and felt sorry for his people.
19 He said to them:
“I will send you grain, new wine, and olive oil,
so that you will have plenty.
No more will I shame you
among the nations.
20 I will force the army from the north to leave your land
and go into a dry, empty land.
Their soldiers in front will be forced into the Dead Sea,
and those in the rear into the Mediterranean Sea.
Their bodies will rot and stink.
The Lord has surely done a wonderful thing!”
21 Land, don’t be afraid;
be happy and full of joy,
because the Lord has done a wonderful thing.
22 Wild animals, don’t be afraid,
because the open pastures have grown grass.
The trees have given fruit;
the fig trees and the grapevines have grown much fruit.
23 So be happy, people of Jerusalem;
be joyful in the Lord your God.
Because he does what is right,
he has brought you rain;
he has sent the fall rain
and the spring rain for you, as before.
24 And the threshing floors will be full of grain;
the barrels will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
The Lord Speaks
25 “Though I sent my great army against you—
those swarming locusts and hopping locusts,
the destroying locusts and the cutting locusts[a] that ate your crops—
I will pay you back
for those years of trouble.
26 Then you will have plenty to eat
and be full.
You will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has done miracles for you.
My people will never again be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am among the people of Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and there is no other God.
My people will never be shamed again.
28 “After this,
I will pour out my Spirit on all kinds of people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 At that time I will pour out my Spirit
also on male slaves and female slaves.
The Message of Christ’s Death
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I did not come preaching God’s secret[a] with fancy words or a show of human wisdom. 2 I decided that while I was with you I would forget about everything except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. 3 So when I came to you, I was weak and fearful and trembling. 4 My teaching and preaching were not with words of human wisdom that persuade people but with proof of the power that the Spirit gives. 5 This was so that your faith would be in God’s power and not in human wisdom.
God’s Wisdom
6 However, I speak a wisdom to those who are mature. But this wisdom is not from this world or from the rulers of this world, who are losing their power. 7 I speak God’s secret wisdom, which he has kept hidden. Before the world began, God planned this wisdom for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this world understood it. If they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written in the Scriptures:
“No one has ever seen this,
and no one has ever heard about it.
No one has ever imagined
what God has prepared for those who love him.” Isaiah 64:4
10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit.
The Spirit searches out all things, even the deep secrets of God. 11 Who knows the thoughts that another person has? Only a person’s spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.