Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Trust in the Lord
For the director of music. Of David.
11 I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
“Fly like a bird to your mountain.
2 Like hunters, the wicked string their bows;
they set their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from dark places
at those who are honest.
3 When the foundations for good collapse,
what can good people do?”
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord sits on his throne in heaven.
He sees what people do;
he keeps his eye on them.
5 The Lord tests those who do right,
but he hates the wicked and those who love to hurt others.
6 He will send hot coals and burning sulfur on the wicked.
A whirlwind is what they will get.
7 The Lord does what is right, and he loves justice,
so honest people will see his face.
The Message About Jerusalem
2 Isaiah son of Amoz saw this message about Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days
the mountain on which the Lord’s Temple stands
will become the most important of all mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
and people from all nations will come streaming to it.
3 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob.
Then God will teach us his ways,
and we will obey his teachings.”
His teachings will go out from Jerusalem;
the message of the Lord will go out from Jerusalem.
4 He will settle arguments among the nations
and will make decisions for many nations.
Then they will make their swords into plows
and their spears into hooks for trimming trees.
Nations will no longer fight other nations,
nor will they train for war anymore.
What Is Faith?
11 Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. 2 Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past.
3 It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God’s command so what we see was made by something that cannot be seen.
4 It was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God said he was pleased with the gifts Abel offered and called Abel a good man because of his faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking.
5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken to heaven so he would not die. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. Before he was taken, the Scripture says that he was a man who truly pleased God. 6 Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.
7 It was by faith that Noah heard God’s warnings about things he could not yet see. He obeyed God and built a large boat to save his family. By his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong, and he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.