Psalm 72
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 72
Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King
Of Solomon.
1 Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.(A)
2 May he judge your people with righteousness
and your poor with justice.(B)
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.(C)
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.(D)
5 May he live[a] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(E)
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.(F)
7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.(G)
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.(H)
9 May his foes[b] bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.(I)
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.(J)
11 May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.
12 For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.(K)
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.(L)
15 Long may he live!
May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually
and blessings invoked for him all day long.(M)
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field.(N)
17 May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;[c]
may they pronounce him happy.(O)
18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.(P)
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.(Q)
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
Hebrews 3:1-6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Moses a Servant, Christ a Son
3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, partners in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession,(A) 2 who was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses also “was faithful in all[a] God’s[b] house.” 3 Yet Jesus[c] is worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.(B) 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)(C) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s[d] house as a servant, to testify to the things that would be spoken later.(D) 6 Christ, however, was faithful over God’s[e] house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm[f] the boldness and the pride inspired by hope.(E)
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Zechariah 2:10-13
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord.(A) 11 Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day and shall be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 12 The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.(B)
13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.(C)
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John 3:25-30
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
25 Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew.[a] 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”(A) 27 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.(B) 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,[b] but I have been sent ahead of him.’(C) 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled.(D) 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”[c]
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Psalm 146
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 146
Praise for God’s Help
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!(A)
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.(B)
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.(C)
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.(D)
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,(E)
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;(F)
7 who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;(G)
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.(H)
9 The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.(I)
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!(J)
Psalm 147
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 147
Praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem
1 Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.(A)
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.(B)
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.(C)
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.(D)
5 Great is our Lord and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.(E)
6 The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.(F)
9 He gives to the animals their food
and to the young ravens when they cry.(G)
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner,[a](H)
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Extol the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
14 He grants peace[b] within your borders;
he fills you with the finest of wheat.(I)
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.(J)
16 He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.(K)
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs—
who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word and melts them;
he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.(L)
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel.(M)
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!(N)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.