Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Confidence in Yahweh
A miktam[a] of David.[b]
16 Protect me, O God,
for I take refuge in you.
2 Oh my soul you have said[c] to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.
I have no good apart from you.”
3 With regard to the saints who are in the land,
they are the noble ones in whom is all my desire.
4 Those who hurry after[d] another god increase their sorrows.
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
nor take up their names on my lips.
5 Yahweh is the portion which is my share and my cup.
You hold my lot.
6 The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.
Yes, my inheritance is delightful for me.
7 I will bless Yahweh who advises me;
yes, at night my innermost being[e] instructs me.
8 I have set Yahweh before me always.
Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.
Yes, my body will dwell in safety,
10 for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
you will not give your faithful one to see the grave.
11 You will make known to me the path of life.
In your presence is fullness of joy.
At your right hand are pleasures forever.
The Dream and the King’s Search for an Interpreter
4 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was content in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 And I saw a dream and a revelation on my bed and it frightened me, and the visions of my head terrified me. 6 And a decree was sent out,[a] ordering that all the wise men of Babylon were to be brought in before me so that they may make known to me the explanation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians,[b] the conjurers,[c] the astrologers[d] and the diviners came in and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its explanation.[e] 8 Then at last[f] Daniel came before me whose name was[g] Belteshazzar, according to[h] the name of my god, and in whom was the spirit of the holy gods,[i] and I related the dream to him.[j]
9 “‘O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians,[k] I myself know that the spirit[l] of the holy gods is in you, and no mystery is too difficult[m] for you. Now tell me the visions of my dream that I saw, and its explanation.[n] 10 Now these were the visions of my head as I was lying on my bed: I was gazing[o] and, look, a tree was in the midst of the earth, and its height was exalted.
11 The tree grew and it became strong,
and its height reached to heaven,[p]
and it was visible to the end of the whole earth.[q]
12 Its foliage was beautiful,
and its fruit abundant,
and in it was provision for all.
Under it the animals[r] of the field sought shade,
and in its branches the birds of heaven[s] nested,
and from it all the living beings were fed.
13 “‘I was looking in the vision of my head as I lay on my bed, and look, a watcher,[t] and a holy one, came down from heaven.
14 He cried aloud[u] and so he said:
“Cut down the tree and chop off its branches;
shake off its foliage and scatter its fruit.
Let the animals flee from under it,
and the birds from its branches.
15 But the stump of its roots
leave in the earth,
along with[v] a band of iron and bronze;
leave it in the grass of the field.
And in[w] the dew of heaven
let it[x] be watered,
and with the animals[y]
let his lot be in the grass of the earth.
16 Let his mind be changed from that of a human,[z]
and let the mind of an animal be given to him,
and let seven times pass over him.
17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers,
and the decision by the command of the holy ones,
in order that[aa] the living will know
that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of humankind,
and to whomever[ab] he wills he gives it,
and he even sets the humblest of men over it.”
18 “‘This is the dream that I, Nebuchadnezzar the king, saw. Now[ac] you, Belteshazzar, declare its explanation, for[ad] all of the wise men of my kingdom were not able to make the explanation known to me, but you are able because the spirit of holy gods is in you.’
Renewed Charge to Timothy
11 But you, O man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patient endurance, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I command you, in the sight of God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you observe the commandment without fault, irreproachable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will make known in his own time, the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of those who reign as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords, 16 the one who alone possesses immortality, who lives in unapproachable light, whom no human being has seen nor is able to see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.
Instructions to the Rich
17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be proud and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who provides us all things richly for enjoyment, 18 to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, sharing freely, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the future, in order that they may take hold of what is truly life.
Final Charge and Benediction
20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless empty talk and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some, by[a] professing it, have deviated concerning the faith. Grace be with you all.
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