Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A World Renewed
17 [a]See, I am creating new heavens
and a new earth;
The former things shall not be remembered
nor come to mind.(A)
18 Instead, shout for joy and be glad forever
in what I am creating.
Indeed, I am creating Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
20 No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
nor anyone who does not live a full lifetime;
One who dies at a hundred years shall be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred shall be thought accursed.(B)
21 They shall build houses and live in them,
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit;
22 They shall not build and others live there;
they shall not plant and others eat.
As the years of a tree, so the years of my people;
and my chosen ones shall long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They shall not toil in vain,
nor beget children for sudden destruction;
For they shall be a people blessed by the Lord
and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call, I will answer;
while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 [b]The wolf and the lamb shall pasture together,
and the lion shall eat hay like the ox—
but the serpent’s food shall be dust.(C)
None shall harm or destroy
on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
Chapter 12
Song of Thanksgiving[a]
1 On that day, you will say:
I give you thanks, O Lord;
though you have been angry with me,
your anger has abated, and you have consoled me.
2 God indeed is my salvation;
I am confident and unafraid.
For the Lord is my strength and my might,
and he has been my salvation.(A)
3 With joy you will draw water
from the fountains of salvation,(B)
4 And you will say on that day:
give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name;
Among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.(C)
5 Sing praise to the Lord for he has done glorious things;
let this be known throughout all the earth.(D)
6 Shout with exultation, City of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!(E)
Neglect of Work. 6 We instruct you, brothers, in the name of [our] Lord Jesus Christ, to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us.[a] 7 For you know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, 8 nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you.(A) 9 Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us.(B) 10 In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.(C) 11 We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.(D) 12 Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food. 13 But you, brothers, do not be remiss in doing good.
5 [a]While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said, 6 “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”(A)
The Signs of the End. 7 (B)Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” 8 He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’[b] Do not follow them!(C) 9 When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(D) 11 There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
The Coming Persecution. 12 (E)“Before all this happens,[c] however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.(F) 13 It will lead to your giving testimony. 14 Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, 15 (G)for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking[d] that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. 16 (H)You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.(I) 17 You will be hated by all because of my name, 18 but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.(J) 19 By your perseverance you will secure your lives.(K)
The Great Tribulation.[e]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.