Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
You Will Not Forsake My Soul
A [a]Mikhtam of David.
16 (A)Keep me, O God, for (B)I take refuge in You.
2 O my soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are [b]my Lord;
I (C)have no good without You.”
3 As for the [c](D)saints who are in the earth,
They are the majestic ones (E)in whom is all my delight.
4 The [d](F)pains of those who have [e]bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of (G)blood,
Nor will I (H)take their names upon my lips.
5 Yahweh is the (I)portion of my inheritance and my (J)cup;
You support my (K)lot.
6 The (L)lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is (M)beautiful to me.
7 I will bless Yahweh who has (N)counseled me;
Indeed, my [f](O)mind instructs me in the night.
8 (P)I have (Q)set Yahweh continually before me;
Because He is (R)at my right hand, (S)I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore (T)my heart is glad and (U)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will (V)dwell securely.
10 For You (W)will not forsake my soul to Sheol;
You will not (X)give Your [g]Holy One over to see [h]corruption.
11 You will make known to me (Y)the path of life;
In (Z)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are (AA)pleasures forever.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of a Great Tree
4 “[a]I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and (A)flourishing in my palace. 5 I saw a (B)dream, and it made me fearful; and these fantasies as I lay on my bed and the (C)visions in my head kept alarming me. 6 So I gave a decree to (D)bring into my presence all the wise men of Babylon, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the [b](E)magicians, the conjurers, the [c]Chaldeans, and the diviners came in, and I said the dream [d]to them, but they could not make its (F)interpretation known to me. 8 But at last Daniel came in before me, whose name is (G)Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is [e](H)a spirit of the holy gods; and I said the dream [f]to him: 9 ‘O Belteshazzar, (I)chief of the magicians, since I know that (J)a spirit of the holy gods is in you, and (K)no mystery is difficult for you, (L)say to me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.
10 ‘Now these were the (M)visions in my head as I lay on my bed: I was looking, and behold, there was a (N)tree in the midst of the [g]earth, and its height was great.
11 The tree grew large and became strong,
And its height (O)reached to the sky,
And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
12 Its foliage was (P)beautiful and its fruit abundant,
And in it was food for all.
The (Q)beasts of the field found (R)shade under it,
And the (S)birds of the sky inhabited its branches,
And all flesh fed itself from it.
13 ‘I was looking in the (T)visions in my head as I lay on my bed, and behold, (U)a [h]watcher, a (V)holy one, descended from heaven.
14 He called out loudly and said thus:
“(W)Chop down the tree and cut off its branches,
Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit;
Let the (X)beasts flee from under it
And the birds from its branches.
15 Yet (Y)leave the stump [i]with its roots in the earth,
But with a band of iron and bronze around it
In the new grass of the field;
And let him be drenched with the dew of heaven,
And let [j]him share with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man,
And let the heart of a beast be given to him,
And let (Z)seven [k]periods of time pass over him.
17 This edict is by the resolution of the watchers,
And the decision is a command of the holy ones,
In order that the living may (AA)know
That the Most High is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind
And (AB)gives it to whom He wishes
And sets up over it the (AC)lowliest of men.”
18 This is the dream which I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, say to me its interpretation, inasmuch as none of the (AD)wise men of my kingdom is able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for a (AE)spirit of the holy gods is in you.’
11 But you, O (A)man of God, (B)flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, (C)faith, (D)love, [a]perseverance, gentleness. 12 (E)Fight the good fight of (F)faith. (G)Take hold of the eternal life (H)to which you were called, and you made the good (I)confession in the presence of (J)many witnesses. 13 (K)I charge you in the presence of God, who [b]gives life to all things, and of (L)Christ Jesus, who testified the (M)good confession (N)before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the (O)appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which He will [c]bring about at (P)the proper time—He who is (Q)the blessed and (R)only Sovereign, (S)the King of [d]kings and (T)Lord of [e]lords, 16 (U)who alone has immortality and (V)dwells in unapproachable light, (W)whom no man has seen or can see. (X)To Him be honor and eternal might! Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in (Y)this present age (Z)not to be haughty or to (AA)set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, (AB)who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in (AC)good [f]works, (AD)to be generous and ready to share, 19 (AE)storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may (AF)take hold of that which is life indeed.
20 O (AG)Timothy, guard (AH)what has been entrusted to you, turning aside from (AI)godless and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge— 21 which some, while professing, have (AJ)gone astray [g]from (AK)the faith.
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