Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 (A)O God, behold our shield,
And look upon the face of Your [a]anointed.
10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather [b]be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is (B)a sun and (C)shield;
The Lord will give grace and glory;
(D)No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
(E)Blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Hannah’s Prayer(A)
2 And Hannah (B)prayed and said:
(C)“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
(D)My [a]horn is exalted in the Lord.
[b]I smile at my enemies,
Because I (E)rejoice in Your salvation.
2 “No(F) one is holy like the Lord,
For there is (G)none besides You,
Nor is there any (H)rock like our God.
3 “Talk no more so very proudly;
(I)Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the Lord is the God of (J)knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed.
4 “The(K) bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even (L)the barren has borne seven,
And (M)she who has many children has become feeble.
6 “The(N) Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
7 The Lord (O)makes poor and makes rich;
(P)He brings low and lifts up.
8 (Q)He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
(R)To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.
(S)“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He has set the world upon them.
9 (T)He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the (U)wicked shall be silent in darkness.
Suffering for God’s Glory
12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice (A)to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that (B)when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are [a]reproached for the name of Christ, (C)blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. [b]On their part He is blasphemed, (D)but on your part He is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a [c]busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this [d]matter.
17 For the time has come (E)for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, (F)what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now
(G)“If the righteous one is scarcely saved,
Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God (H)commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.