Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer for the Nation
For the director of music. A song of the sons of Korah.
85 Lord, you have been kind to your land.
You gave the people of Jacob back their riches.
2 You forgave the guilt of the people.
You covered all their sins. Selah
3 You stopped all your anger.
You stopped your strong anger.
4 God our Savior, bring us back again.
Stop being angry with us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you stay angry from now on?
6 Won’t you give us life again?
Your people would rejoice in you.
7 Lord, show us your love.
Save us.
8 I will listen to God the Lord.
He has ordered peace for his people who worship him.
Don’t let them go back to foolishness.
9 God will soon save those who respect him.
And his greatness will be seen in our land.
10 Love and truth will belong to God’s people.
Goodness and peace will be theirs.
11 On earth people will be loyal to God.
And God’s goodness will shine down from heaven.
12 The Lord will give his goodness.
And the land will give its crops.
13 Goodness will go before God
and prepare the way for him.
The Lord’s Word Against the Leaders
5 “Listen, you priests.
Pay attention, people of Israel.
Listen, royal family.
You will all be judged.
You have been like a trap at Mizpah.
You have been like a net spread out at Mount Tabor.
2 You have done many bad things.
So I will punish you all.
3 I know all about Israel.
What they have done is not hidden from me.
They all act like prostitutes.
Israel has made itself unclean.
4 “And those bad things they have done
keep them from returning to their God.
They are determined to be unfaithful to me.
They do not know the Lord.
5 Israel’s pride testifies against them.
The people of Israel will stumble because of their sin.
The people of Judah will also stumble with them.
6 The people will come to worship the Lord.
They will come with their sheep and cattle.
But they will not be able to find him,
because he has left them.
7 They have not been true to the Lord.
Their children do not belong to him.
So their false worship
will destroy them and their land.
8 “Blow the horn in Gibeah.
Blow the trumpet in Ramah.
Give the warning at Beth Aven.
Be first into battle, people of Benjamin.
9 A time of punishment is coming.
Israel will be destroyed.
I warn the tribes of Israel
that this will surely happen.
10 The leaders of Judah are like thieves.
They try to steal the property of others.
My punishment will overwhelm them
like a flood of water.
11 Israel will be crushed by the punishments,
because they decided to follow idols.
12 I will destroy Israel
as a moth destroys clothing.
I will destroy Judah
as rot destroys wood.
13 “Israel saw how weak she was.
Judah saw the wounds she suffered.
So Israel turned to Assyria for help.
She sent to the great king of Assyria for help.
But he cannot heal you.
He cannot cure your wound.
14 I will be like a lion to Israel.
I will be like a young lion to Judah.
I will attack them
and tear them to pieces.
I will drag them off,
and no one will be able to save them.
15 Then I will go back to my place
until the people admit they are guilty.
At that time they must look for me.
In their trouble they must turn to me.”
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus from Nazareth was a very special man. God clearly showed this to you by the miracles, wonders, and signs God did through him. You all know this, because it happened right here among you. 23 Jesus was given to you, and you killed him. With the help of evil men you nailed him to a cross. But God knew all this would happen. This was God’s plan which he had made long ago. 24 God raised Jesus from death. God set him free from the pain of death. Death could not hold him. 25 For David said this about him:
‘I keep the Lord before me always.
Because he is close by my side,
I will not be hurt.
26 So I am glad, and I rejoice.
Even my body has hope.
27 This is because you will not leave me in the grave.
You will not let your Holy One rot.
28 You will teach me God’s way to live.
Being with you will fill me with joy.’ Psalm 16:8-11
29 “Brothers, I can tell you truly about David, our ancestor. He died and was buried. His grave is still here with us today. 30 David was a prophet and knew what God had said. God had promised David that he would make a person from David’s family a king just as he was.[a] 31 David knew this before it happened. That is why he said:
‘He was not left in the grave.
His body did not rot.’
David was talking about the Christ rising from death. 32 So Jesus is the One who God raised from death! And we are all witnesses to this. 33 Jesus was lifted up to heaven and is now at God’s right side. The Father has given the Holy Spirit to Jesus as he promised. So now Jesus has poured out that Spirit. This is what you see and hear. 34 David was not the one who was lifted up to heaven. But he said:
‘The Lord said to my Lord:
Sit by me at my right side,
35 until I put your enemies under your control.’[b] Psalm 110:1
36 “So, all the people of Israel should know this truly: God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. He is the man you nailed to the cross!”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.