Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

You Will Not Forsake My Soul

A ^[a]Mikhtam of David.

Daniel Interprets the Dream

¹⁹ “Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his ^(A)thoughts were alarming him. The king answered and said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not ^(B)let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.’ Belteshazzar answered and said, ‘^(C)My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to ^(D)your adversaries! ²⁰ The ^(E)tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth, ²¹ and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field inhabited, and in whose branches the birds of the sky dwelt— ²² it is ^(F)you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your greatness has become even greater and reached to the sky and your ^[a](G)dominion to the end of the earth. ²³ But in that the king saw a watcher, a holy one, descending from heaven and saying, “^(H)Chop down the tree and destroy it; yet leave the stump ^[b]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 ^[c]him share with the beasts of the field until ^(I)seven ^[d]periods of time pass over him,” ²⁴ this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the resolution of the Most High, which has ^(J)reached my lord the king: ²⁵ that you be ^(K)driven away from mankind and your place of habitation be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven ^[e]periods of time will pass over you, until you know that the ^(L)Most High is the powerful ruler over the kingdom of mankind and ^(M)gives it to whomever He wishes. ²⁶ And in that they said to ^(N)leave the stump ^[f]with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will endure for you after you know that it is ^(O)Heaven that rules with power. ²⁷ Therefore, O king, may my ^(P)advice seem good to you: ^[g](Q)break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by ^(R)showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a ^(S)prolonging of your prosperity.’

⁶ Therefore as you received ^(A)Christ Jesus the Lord, so ^[a](B)walk in Him, ⁷ having been firmly ^(C)rooted and being ^(D)built up in Him, and having been ^(E)established ^[b]in your faith—just as you ^(F)were instructed—and abounding ^[c]with thanksgiving.

^8 (G)See to it that no one takes you captive through ^(H)philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the ^(I)elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him all the ^(J)fullness of Deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and in Him you have been ^(K)filled, ^(L)who is the head ^[d]over all ^(M)rule and authority; ¹¹ in whom ^(N)you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of ^(O)the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been ^(P)buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also ^(Q)raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who ^(R)raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And you being ^(S)dead ^[e]in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He ^(T)made you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions. ¹⁴ Having canceled out ^(U)the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us, ^(V)He also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having ^[f](W)disarmed the ^(X)rulers and authorities, He ^(Y)made a public display of them, having ^(Z)triumphed over them in ^[g]Him.