Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 101[a]
Norm of Life for Rulers
1 A psalm of David.
I
I sing of mercy and justice;
to you, Lord, I sing praise.
2 I study the way of integrity;(A)
when will you come to me?
I act with integrity of heart
within my household.[b](B)
3 I do not allow into my presence anything base.
I hate wrongdoing;
I will have no part of it.(C)
4 May the devious heart keep far from me;
the wicked I will not acknowledge.
5 Whoever slanders a neighbor in secret
I will reduce to silence.(D)
Haughty eyes and arrogant hearts(E)
I cannot endure.
II
6 I look to the faithful of the land[c]
to sit at my side.
Whoever follows the way of integrity(F)
is the one to enter my service.
7 No one who practices deceit
can remain within my house.
No one who speaks falsely
can last in my presence.(G)
8 [d]Morning after morning I clear all the wicked from the land,
to rid the city of the Lord of all doers of evil.
9 [a]In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea, son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, attacked Samaria and laid siege to it, 10 (A)and after three years they captured it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel, Samaria was taken. 11 The king of Assyria then deported the Israelites to Assyria and led them off to Halah, and the Habor, a river of Gozan, and the cities of the Medes. 12 This happened because they did not obey the Lord, their God, but violated his covenant; they did not obey nor do all that Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded.(B)
Sennacherib and Hezekiah. 13 [b]In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria,[c] attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.(C) 14 Hezekiah, king of Judah, sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have done wrong. Leave me, and whatever you impose on me I will bear.” The king of Assyria exacted three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold from Hezekiah, king of Judah. 15 Hezekiah gave him all the funds there were in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At the same time, Hezekiah removed the nave doors and the uprights of the house of the Lord, which the king of Judah had ordered to be overlaid with gold, and gave them to the king of Assyria.(D)
17 The king of Assyria sent the general, the lord chamberlain, and the commander[d] from Lachish with a great army to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem, to the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller’s field, where they took their stand. 18 They called for the king, but Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, the master of the palace, came out, along with Shebnah the scribe and the chancellor Joah, son of Asaph.(E)
Counsel to Timothy. 6 [a]If you will give these instructions to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching you have followed. 7 Avoid profane and silly myths. Train yourself for devotion,(A) 8 for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future.(B) 9 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance.(C) 10 For this we toil and struggle,[b] because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the savior of all, especially of those who believe.(D)
11 [c]Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one have contempt for your youth,[d] but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.(E) 13 Until I arrive, attend to the reading,[e] exhortation, and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was conferred on you through the prophetic word[f] with the imposition of hands of the presbyterate.(F) 15 Be diligent in these matters, be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to everyone. 16 Attend to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in both tasks, for by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.