Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 78[a]
A well-written song[b] by Asaph.
78 Pay attention, my people, to my instruction.
Listen to the words I speak.[c]
2 I will sing a song that imparts wisdom;
I will make insightful observations about the past.[d]
3 What we have heard and learned[e]—
that which our ancestors[f] have told us—
4 we will not hide from their[g] descendants.
We will tell the next generation
about the Lord’s praiseworthy acts,[h]
about his strength and the amazing things he has done.
5 He established a rule[i] in Jacob;
he set up a law in Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to make his deeds known to their descendants,[j]
6 so that the next generation, children yet to be born,
might know about them.
They will grow up and tell their descendants about them.[k]
7 Then they will place their confidence in God.
They will not forget the works of God,
and they will obey[l] his commands.
10 So the Israelites camped in Gilgal and celebrated the Passover in the evening of the fourteenth day of the month in the rift valley plains of Jericho.[a] 11 They ate some of the produce of the land the day after the Passover, including unleavened bread and roasted grain.[b] 12 The manna stopped appearing the day they ate[c] some of the produce of the land; the Israelites never ate manna again.[d] They ate from the produce of the land of Canaan that year.
6 Now[a] the seven angels holding[b] the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The[c] first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that[d] a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 Then[e] the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A[f] third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures[g] living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed.[h]
10 Then[i] the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky;[j] it landed[k] on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 (Now[l] the name of the star is[m] Wormwood.)[n] So[o] a third of the waters became wormwood,[p] and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.[q]
12 Then[r] the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day[s] and for a third of the night likewise. 13 Then[t] I looked, and I heard an[u] eagle[v] flying directly overhead,[w] proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!”[x]
9 Then[y] the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky[z] to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss.[aa] 2 He[ab] opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it[ac] like smoke from a giant furnace. The[ad] sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft. 3 Then[ae] out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power[af] like that of the scorpions of the earth. 4 They[ag] were told[ah] not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant or tree, but only those people[ai] who did not have the seal of God on their[aj] forehead. 5 The locusts[ak] were not given permission[al] to kill[am] them, but only to torture[an] them[ao] for five months, and their torture was like that[ap] of a scorpion when it stings a person.[aq] 6 In[ar] those days people[as] will seek death, but[at] will not be able to[au] find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 Now[av] the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On[aw] their heads were something like crowns similar to gold,[ax] and their faces looked like men’s[ay] faces. 8 They[az] had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates[ba] like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle. 10 They have[bb] tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability[bc] to injure people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.[bd]
12 The first woe has passed, but[be] two woes are still coming after these things!
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