Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Call to Praise the Lord for His Righteousness.

A Psalm.

The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

8 Then the word of the Lord of armies came, saying, ² “The Lord of armies says this: ‘I am ^(A)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ ³ The Lord says this: ‘I will return to Zion and ^(B)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of ^(C)Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’ ⁴ The Lord of armies says this: ‘^(D)Old men and old women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of ^[a]age. ⁵ And the public squares of the city will be filled with ^(E)boys and girls playing in its squares.’ ⁶ The Lord of armies says this: ‘If it is ^(F)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be ^(G)too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of armies. ⁷ The Lord of armies says this: ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the ^[b](H)east and from the land of the ^[c]west; ⁸ and I will ^(I)bring them back and they will ^(J)live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be ^(K)My people, and I will be their God in ^[d]truth and righteousness.’

⁹ “The Lord of armies says this: ‘Let your hands be ^(L)strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the ^(M)prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of armies was laid, so that the temple might be built. ¹⁰ For before those days there was ^(N)no wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no ^[e](O)peace because of ^[f]his enemies, and I ^(P)sent all the people against one another. ¹¹ But now I will ^(Q)not ^[g]treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of armies. ¹² ‘For there will be ^(R)the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their ^(S)dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people ^(T)all these things as an inheritance. ¹³ And it will come about that just as you were a ^(U)curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a ^(V)blessing. Do not fear; let your ^(W)hands be strong.’

¹⁴ “For this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Just as I ^(X)determined to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,’ says the Lord of armies, ‘and I have not ^(Y)relented, ¹⁵ so I have again determined in these days to ^(Z)do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. ^(AA)Do not fear! ¹⁶ These are the things which you shall do: speak the ^(AB)truth to one another; ^(AC)judge with truth and judgment for peace at your ^[h]gates. ¹⁷ Also let none of you ^(AD)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love ^[i](AE)perjury; for all these things are what I ^(AF)hate,’ declares the Lord.”

¹⁹ Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(A)the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever ^[a]the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way. ^20 (B)For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him ^(C)greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and ^(D)gives them life, so ^(E)the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. ²² For not even the Father judges anyone, but ^(F)He has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. ^(G)The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

²⁴ “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and ^(H)believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and ^(I)does not come into judgment, but has ^(J)passed out of death into life.

Two Resurrections

²⁵ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^[b](K)a time is coming and ^[c]even now has arrived, when ^(L)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who ^(M)hear will live. ²⁶ For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He ^(N)gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; ²⁷ and He gave Him authority to ^(O)execute judgment, because He is ^[d]the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not be amazed at this; for ^[e](P)a time is coming when ^(Q)all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, ²⁹ and will come out: ^(R)those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.