Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Thanksgiving for Escaping Death
A song of David. A song for giving the Temple to the Lord.
30 I will praise you, Lord,
because you rescued me.
You did not let my enemies laugh at me.
2 Lord, my God, I prayed to you.
And you healed me.
3 You lifted me out of the grave.
You spared me from going down where the dead are.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, you who belong to him.
Praise his holy name.
5 His anger lasts only a moment.
But his kindness lasts for a lifetime.
Crying may last for a night.
But joy comes in the morning.
6 When I felt safe, I said,
“I will never fail.”
7 Lord, in your kindness you made my mountain safe.
But when you turned away, I was frightened.
8 I called to you, Lord.
I asked you to have mercy on me.
9 I said, “What good will it do if I die
or if I go down to the grave?
Dust cannot praise you.
It cannot speak about your truth.
10 Lord, hear me and be merciful to me.
Lord, help me.”
11 You changed my sorrow into dancing.
You took away my rough cloth, which shows sadness, and clothed me in happiness.
12 I will sing to you and not be silent.
Lord, my God, I will praise you forever.
18 The child grew. One day he went out to his father, who was with the men harvesting grain. 19 The boy said to his father, “My head! My head!”
The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother!” 20 The servant took him to his mother. He lay on his mother’s lap until noon. Then he died. 21 She took him up and laid him on Elisha’s bed. Then she shut the door and went out.
22 She called to her husband. She said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys. Then I can go quickly to the man of God and come back.”
23 The woman’s husband said, “Why do you want to go to him today? It isn’t the New Moon or the Sabbath day.”
She said, “It will be all right.”
24 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on. Don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she went to Elisha at Mount Carmel.
He saw her coming from far away. So he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there’s the Shunammite woman! 26 Run to meet her! Say to her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the child all right?’”
She answered, “Everything is all right.”
27 Then she came to Elisha at the hill. She caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to pull her away. But Elisha said to him, “Let her alone. She’s very upset, and the Lord has not told me about it. He has hidden it from me.”
28 She said, “Master, I didn’t tell you I wanted a son. I told you, ‘Don’t fool me.’”
29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready. Take my walking stick in your hand and go quickly. If you meet anyone, don’t greet him. If anyone greets you, don’t answer him. Lay my walking stick on the face of the boy.”
30 But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you!” So he got up and followed her.
31 Gehazi went on ahead. He laid the walking stick on the child’s face. But the child did not talk or move. Then Gehazi went back to meet Elisha. He told Elisha, “The child has not awakened.”
Christian Giving
8 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God gave the churches in Macedonia. 2 They have been tested by great troubles. And they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy. 3 I can tell you that they gave as much as they were able. They gave even more than they could afford. No one told them to do it. 4 But they asked us again and again—they begged us to let them share in this service for God’s people. 5 And they gave in a way that we did not expect: They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants. 6 So we asked Titus to help you finish this special work of grace. He is the one who started this work. 7 You are rich in everything—in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us.[a] And so we want you to be rich also in this gift of giving.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.