Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Solomonic
A Prayer for the King
72 God, endow the king with ability to render[a] your justice,
and the king’s son to render your right decisions.
2 May he rule your people with right decisions
and your oppressed ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people
and the hills bring righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted of the people
and deliver the children of the poor,
but crush the oppressor.
5 May they fear you as long as the sun and moon shine[b]—
from generation to generation.
6 May he be like the rain that descends on mown grass,
like showers sprinkling on the ground.
7 The righteous will flourish at the proper time
and peace will prevail until the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River[c] to the ends of the earth.
9 May the nomads bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring gifts,
and may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer tribute.
11 May all kings bow down to him,
and all nations serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy when they cry out for help,
and the poor when there is no deliverer.
13 He will have compassion on the poor and the needy,
and he will save the lives of the needy.
14 He will redeem them[d] from oppression and violence,
since their lives are[e] precious in his sight.
Prayer for the King
15 May he live long and be given gold from Sheba,
and may prayer be offered for him continuously,
and may he be blessed every day.
16 May grain be abundant in the land
all the way[f] to the mountain tops;
may its fruits flourish
like the forests of Lebanon,
and may the cities sprout
like the grass of the earth.
Praising the God of Israel
17 May his fame[g] be eternal—
as long as the sun—
may his name endure,
and may they be blessed through him,
and may all nations call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does awesome deeds.
19 And blessed be his glorious name forever,
and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!
20 This ends the prayers of Jesse’s son David.
The Ruler from Bethlehem
2 [a]“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
even though you remain least among the clans[b] of Judah,
nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me
will emerge from you.
His existence has been[c] from antiquity,
even from eternity.
3 Therefore that ruler[d] will abandon them
until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then the rest of his countrymen will return to the Israelis.”
4 “Then he will take his stand,
shepherding by means of the strength of the Lord,
by the power[e] of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will be firmly[f] established;
indeed, from then on he will become great—
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace.”
God’s Judgment on Assyria
“When the Assyrian invades our land,
trampling through our palaces,
we will raise up seven shepherds against him,
even eight significant men.
6 The shepherds[g] will devastate the land of Assyria with the sword,
along with the entrances to the land of Nimrod.
“This is how he will vanquish[h] Assyria
when he invades our land,
trampling within our borders:
7 The survivors of Jacob will live among many nations,
as dew from the Lord,
as showers upon the grass.
They will look to no one,
and will place no hope in human beings.
8 The survivors of Jacob will live among the nations;
they will live among many nations,
like a lion among flocks of sheep,
who, if he passes through,
will trample and tear down
with no one to deliver.
9 You will turn your power[i] against your adversaries,
and all of your enemies will be cut down.”
Jesus Rebukes Jerusalem(A)
31 At that hour some Pharisees came and told Jesus,[a] “Leave and get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you!”
32 He told them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Listen! I am driving out demons and healing today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will finish my work. 33 But I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day, because it’s not possible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you people were unwilling! 35 Look! Your house is left vacant to you. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”[b]
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