Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Glorious New Creation
17 “For behold, I create (A)new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or [a]come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
19 (B)I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The (C)voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.
20 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
(D)But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 (E)They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and (F)another eat;
For (G)as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And (H)My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain,
(I)Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For (J)they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord,
And their offspring with them.
24 “It shall come to pass
That (K)before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will (L)hear.
25 The (M)wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
(N)And dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.
A Hymn of Praise
12 And (A)in that day you will say:
“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
(B)‘For (C)Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
3 Therefore with joy you will draw (D)water
From the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say:
(E)“Praise the Lord, call upon His name;
(F)Declare His deeds among the peoples,
Make mention that His (G)name is exalted.
5 (H)Sing to the Lord,
For He has done excellent things;
This is known in all the earth.
6 (I)Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great is (J)the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
Warning Against Idleness
6 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, (A)that you withdraw (B)from every brother who walks (C)disorderly and not according to the tradition which [a]he received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread [b]free of charge, but worked with (D)labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, 9 not because we do not have (E)authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.
10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are (F)busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and [c]exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ (G)that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
13 But as for you, brethren, (H)do not grow weary in doing good.
Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple(A)
5 (B)Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was [a]adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said, 6 “These things which you see—the days will come in which (C)not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
The Signs of the Times and the End of the Age(D)
7 So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?”
8 And He said: (E)“Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ [b]Therefore do not [c]go after them. 9 But when you hear of (F)wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”
10 (G)Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 And there will be great (H)earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 12 (I)But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and (J)prisons. (K)You will be brought before kings and rulers (L)for My name’s sake. 13 But (M)it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 (N)Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will [d]answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom (O)which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or [e]resist. 16 (P)You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put (Q)some of you to death. 17 And (R)you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. 18 (S)But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By your patience possess your souls.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.