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Psalm 136

1  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever.
2  Give thanks to the God of gods, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever.
3  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
4  Who alone does great wonders, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
5  Who by wisdom made the heavens, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
6  Who laid out the earth upon the waters, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
7  Who made the great lights, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
8  The sun to rule the day, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
9  The moon and the stars to govern the night, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
10  Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
11  And brought out Israel from among them, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
12  With a mighty hand and outstretched arm, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
13  Who divided the Red Sea in two, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
14  And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
15  But Pharaoh and his host he overthrew in the Red Sea, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
16  Who led his people through the wilderness, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
17  Who smote great kings, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
18  And slew mighty kings, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
19  Sihon, king of the Amorites, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
20  And Og, the king of Bashan, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
21  And gave away their land for a heritage, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
22  A heritage for Israel his servant, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
23  Who remembered us when we were in trouble, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
24  And delivered us from our enemies, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever;
25  Who gives food to all creatures, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever.
26  Give thanks to the God of heaven, ♦︎
   for his mercy endures for ever.

A Rebuke and a Promise

10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying: ¹¹Thus says the Lord of hosts: Ask the priests for a ruling: ¹²If one carries consecrated meat in the fold of one’s garment, and with the fold touches bread, or stew, or wine, or oil, or any kind of food, does it become holy? The priests answered, ‘No.’ ¹³Then Haggai said, ‘If one who is unclean by contact with a dead body touches any of these, does it become unclean?’ The priests answered, ‘Yes, it becomes unclean.’ ¹⁴Haggai then said, So is it with this people, and with this nation before me, says the Lord; and so with every work of their hands; and what they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵But now, consider what will come to pass from this day on. Before a stone was placed upon a stone in the Lord’s temple, ¹⁶how did you fare?^* When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. ¹⁷I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and mildew and hail; yet you did not return to me, says the Lord. ¹⁸Consider from this day on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid, consider: ¹⁹Is there any seed left in the barn? Do the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still yield nothing? From this day on I will bless you.

God’s Promise to Zerubbabel

20 The word of the Lord came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month: ²¹Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I am about to shake the heavens and the earth, ²²and to overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I am about to destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations, and overthrow the chariots and their riders; and the horses and their riders shall fall, every one by the sword of a comrade. ²³On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, son of Shealtiel, says the Lord, and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.

Peter’s Declaration about Jesus

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ ²⁸And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ ²⁹He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’^{* 30}And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’

34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel,^* will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸Those who are ashamed of me and of my words^* in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ 9¹And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with^* power.’