Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 5[a]
Morning Prayer for Divine Help
1 For the director.[b] With flutes. A psalm of David.
2 Listen to my words, O Lord;
pay heed to my sighs.
3 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God;
for to you I pray.
4 O Lord, at daybreak[c] you hear my voice;
at daybreak I bring my petition before you
and await your reply.
5 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot remain in your presence.
6 The arrogant shrink before your gaze;
you hate all who do evil.
7 You destroy all who tell lies;
the Lord detests the violent and the deceitful.
8 But I will enter your house
because of your great kindness,[d]
and I will bow down in your holy temple,
filled with awe of you.
9 Lead me in your ways of righteousness, O Lord,
for I am surrounded by enemies;
make your path straight before me.[e]
10 For there is nothing trustworthy in their mouth;[f]
their heart devises treacherous schemes.
Their throat is a wide open grave;
with their tongue they utter flattery.
11 Punish them, O God;
may their intrigues result in their downfall.
Cast them out because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against you.[g]
12 But may all who take refuge in you rejoice;
may they shout for joy forever.
Grant them your protection
so that those who love your name[h] may rejoice in you.
13 Truly, you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you surround them with your goodwill as with a shield.
Chapter 4
Jonah’s Anger; God’s Reproof. 1 This decision greatly displeased Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 Praying to the Lord, he said, “Lord, isn’t this exactly what I predicted when I was still in my own country? That is why in the beginning I fled to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, who is slow to anger, abounding in mercy, and ready to relent from inflicting punishment. 3 Therefore, Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 The Lord replied, “Do you have any right to be angry?”
5 Then Jonah left Nineveh and walked to the east of the city. After making a booth for himself there, he sat under it in the shade while he waited to see what would happen to the city.
The Last Lesson
6 The Lord God then ordained that a gourd plant should grow up above Jonah to cast shade over his head and relieve his discomfort. Jonah was very happy about this plant.
7 But at dawn the next day, God ordained that a worm should infest the gourd plant, and it withered. 8 Then, when the sun rose, God ordained that a scorching wind should blow from the east. The sun beat down on the head of Jonah to such an extent that he grew faint. Then he begged that he might die, saying, “I would be better off dead than alive.”
9 God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” Jonah replied, “I have every reason to be angry, angry enough to die.”
10 The Lord then said, “You are concerned about the plant, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow. It came into being in one night, and it perished in one night. 11 Therefore, why should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city in which there are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot tell their right hand from their left, as well as innumerable cattle?”
26 Baptism of a High Official.[a] Then the angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and head south along the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.” 27 Therefore, he got up and set out.
Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,[b] an official at the court of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was now returning home. As he sat in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join that chariot.” 30 When Philip ran up, he heard him reading from the prophet Isaiah, and he asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless I have someone to instruct me?” Then he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
32 This was the Scripture passage he had been reading:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter;
like a lamb that is silent before its shearer
he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will be able to speak of his posterity?
For his life on earth has been taken away.”
34 Then the eunuch said to Philip, “Please tell me, about whom is the prophet speaking—about himself or someone else?” 35 And so Philip, starting with this text of Scripture, proceeded to explain to him the good news of Jesus.
36 As they were traveling along the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, here is some water. What is to prevent me from being baptized?” [ 37 And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” The eunuch said in reply, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”][c] 38 Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but he went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared in Azotus[d] and continued his journey, proclaiming the good news in every town until he reached Caesarea.
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