Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

¹ ¶ I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

² For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever in the heavens; in them thou shalt establish thy truth.

³ I have made a covenant with my chosen; I have sworn unto David my slave, saying,

⁴ Thy seed will I establish for ever and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.

⁵ ¶ And the heavens shall praise thy wonder, O LORD, thy truth also in the congregation of the saints.

⁶ For who in the heavens can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?

⁷ God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be had in reverence of all those that are about him.

⁸ O LORD God of the hosts, who is like unto thee? Strong JAH, compassed about with thy truth.

⁹ Thou dost rule the raging of the sea: when its waves arise, thou dost still them.

¹⁰ Thou hast broken Egypt in pieces as one that is slain; thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

¹¹ The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: the world and its fullness, thou didst found.

¹² Thou hast created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon shall sing in thy name.

¹³ The mighty arm is thine; strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.

¹⁴ Thy throne is composed of righteousness and judgment; mercy and truth go before thy face.

¹⁵ ¶ Happy are the people that know how to enter into joy; they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.

¹⁶ In thy name shall they rejoice each day; and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.

¹⁷ For thou art the glory of their strength, and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.

¹⁸ For the LORD is our shield, and the Holy One of Israel is our king.

¹⁴ Behold, the days come, said the LORD, that I will confirm the good Word which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

¹⁵ In those days and at that time, I will cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

¹⁶ In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name with which she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

¹⁷ ¶ For thus hath the LORD said: David shall never lack a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;

¹⁸ neither shall the priests the Levites lack a man before me to offer burnt offerings and to kindle grain offerings and to do sacrifice continually.

¹⁹ And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying,

²⁰ Thus hath the LORD said; If ye can break my covenant with the day, and my covenant with the night, such that there should not be day nor night in their season,

²¹ then may also my covenant be broken with David my slave, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites and priests, my ministers.

²² As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David my slave and the Levites that minister unto me.

²³ Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying:

²⁴ Dost thou not consider what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD has chosen, he has even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should no longer be a nation before them.

²⁵ Thus hath the LORD said: If my covenant remains not with the day and the night, and if I have not appointed the laws of the heaven and the earth,

²⁶ then I will cast away the seed of Jacob and David my slave, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; for I will cause their captivity to turn, and I will have mercy on them.

⁴¹ ¶ Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us or even to all?

⁴² And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his lord shall make ruler over his household to give them their portion of food in due season?

⁴³ Blessed is that slave whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing.

⁴⁴ Of a truth I say unto you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.

⁴⁵ But and if that slave shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to beat the menslaves and maids and to eat and drink and to be drunken,

⁴⁶ the lord of that slave will come in a day when he does not look for him and at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him off and will appoint him his portion with the unfaithful.

⁴⁷ And that slave who knew his lord’s will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

⁴⁸ But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required; and to whom much was committed, more will be asked of him.