Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
8 O (A)Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O (B)God of Jacob! Selah.
9 Behold our (C)shield, O God,
And look upon the face of (D)Your anointed.
10 For (E)a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is (F)a sun and (G)shield;
The Lord gives grace and (H)glory;
(I)No good thing does He withhold [a]from those who walk [b]uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
How (J)blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Belshazzar’s Feast
5 Belshazzar the king [a]held a great (A)feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver (B)vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his [b]father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 They (C)drank the wine and praised the gods of (D)gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the [c]back of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s [d](E)face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his (F)hip joints went slack and his (G)knees began knocking together. 7 The king called aloud to bring in the (H)conjurers, the [e]Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be (I)clothed with purple and have a (J)necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as [f](K)third ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but (L)they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. 9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly (M)alarmed, his [g](N)face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.
10 The queen entered the banquet [h]hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, “(O)O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your [i]face be pale. 11 There is a (P)man in your kingdom in whom is [j]a (Q)spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father [k](R)the king, appointed him chief of the [l]magicians, conjurers, [m]Chaldeans and diviners. 12 This was because an (S)extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named (T)Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”
Serve God Willingly
5 (A)Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your (B)fellow elder and (C)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a (D)partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd (E)the flock of God among you, exercising oversight (F)not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and (G)not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as (H)lording it over [a]those allotted to your charge, but [b]proving to be (I)examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief (J)Shepherd appears, you will receive the (K)unfading [c](L)crown of glory. 5 (M)You younger men, likewise, (N)be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with (O)humility toward one another, for (P)God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
6 Therefore (Q)humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your (R)anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 (S)Be of sober spirit, (T)be on the alert. Your adversary, (U)the devil, prowls around like a roaring (V)lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 [d](W)But resist him, (X)firm in your faith, knowing that (Y)the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your [e]brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered (Z)for a little while, the (AA)God of all grace, who (AB)called you to His (AC)eternal glory in Christ, will Himself (AD)perfect, (AE)confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 (AF)To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.