Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Will Punish the Proud
For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David is in Ahimelech’s house.”
52 Mighty warrior, why do you brag about the evil you do?
God’s love will continue forever.
2 You think up evil plans.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
making up lies.
3 You love wrong more than right
and lies more than truth. Selah
4 You love words that bite
and tongues that lie.
5 But God will ruin you forever.
He will grab you and throw you out of your tent.
He will tear you away from the land of the living. Selah
6 Those who do right will see this and fear God.
They will laugh at you and say,
7 “Look what happened to the man
who did not depend on God.
Instead, he depended on his money.
He grew strong by his evil plans.”
8 But I am like an olive tree
growing in God’s Temple.
I trust God’s love
forever and ever.
9 God, I will thank you forever for what you have done.
With those who worship you, I will trust you because you are good.
Israel Will Be Destroyed
6 How terrible it will be for you who have it easy in Jerusalem.
How terrible for you who live on Mount Samaria and feel safe.
You think you are important people of the best nation in the world.
The Israelites come to you for help.
2 Go look at the city of Calneh.
From there go to the great city Hamath.
Go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Are their lands larger than yours?
3 You put off the day of punishment.
But you bring near the day when you can do evil to others.
4 You lie on beds decorated with ivory.
You stretch out on your couches.
You eat tender lambs
and fattened calves.
5 You play your harps.
Like David, you compose songs on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful.
You use the best perfumed lotions.
But you are not sad over the ruin of Israel, Joseph’s descendants.
7 So you will be some of the first ones taken as slaves.
Your feasting and lying around will come to an end.
8 The Lord God made this promise. The Lord God of heaven’s armies says:
“I hate the pride of the people of Israel.
I hate their strong towers.
So I will let the enemy take the city
and everything in it.”
9 At that time there might be ten people left alive in a house. But they will also die. 10 A relative and one who is to prepare bodies for burial may come to get the bodies. One of them will take the bodies out to burn them. He will call to the other and ask, “Are there any other dead bodies with you?”
That person will answer, “No.”
Then the one who asked will say, “Hush! We must not speak the name of the Lord.”
11 The Lord has given the command.
The large house will be broken into pieces.
And the small house will be broken into bits.
12 Horses do not run on rocks.
People do not plow rocks with oxen.
But you have changed fairness into poison.
You have changed what is right into something wrong.
13 You are happy that the town of Lo Debar[a] was taken.
You say, “We have taken Karnaim[b] by our own strength.”
14 The Lord God of heaven’s armies says,
“Israel, I will bring a nation against you.
It will bring trouble for you from Lebo Hamath in the north
to the valley south of the Dead Sea.”
A Story About Planting Seed
4 A great crowd gathered. People were coming to Jesus from every town. He told them this story:
5 “A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was planting, some seed fell beside the road. People walked on the seed, and the birds ate all this seed. 6 Some seed fell on rock. It began to grow but then died because it had no water. 7 Some seed fell among thorny weeds. This seed grew, but later the weeds choked the good plants. 8 And some seed fell on good ground. This seed grew and made 100 times more grain.”
Jesus finished the story. Then he called out, “Let those with ears use them and listen!”
9 Jesus’ followers asked him, “What does this story mean?”
10 Jesus said, “You have been chosen to know the secret truths of the kingdom of God. But I use stories to speak to other people. I do this so that:
‘They will look, but they may not see.
They will listen, but they may not understand.’ Isaiah 6:9
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.