Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 24

A Psalm of David.

¹ The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it.^(A)

² For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the currents and the rivers.

³ Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place?

⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.^(B)

⁵ He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

⁶ This is the generation [description] of those who seek Him [who inquire of and for Him and of necessity require Him], who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob. Selah [pause, and think of that]!^(C)

⁷ Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in.

⁸ Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

⁹ Lift up your heads, O you gates; yes, lift them up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in.

¹⁰ Who is [He then] this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah [pause, and think of that]!

⁸ Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like doves to their windows?

⁹ Surely the isles and distant coastlands shall wait for and expect Me; and the ships of Tarshish [shall come] first, to bring your sons from afar, their silver and gold with them, for the name of the Lord your God, for the Holy One of Israel, because He has beautified and glorified you.

¹⁰ Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you; for in My wrath I smote you, but in My favor, pleasure, and goodwill I have had mercy, love, and pity for you.

¹¹ And your gates shall be open continually, they shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations—and their kings led in procession [your voluntary captives].^(A)

¹² For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you in that day [Jerusalem] shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly laid waste.

¹³ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine [trees] together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious.

¹⁴ The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bending low to you, and all those who despised you shall bow down at your feet, and they shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.^(B)

¹⁵ Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no man passed through you, I will make you [Jerusalem] an eternal glory, a joy from age to age.

¹⁶ You shall suck the milk of the [Gentile] nations and shall suck the breast of kings; and you shall recognize and know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

1 Since [^[a]as is well known] many have undertaken to put in order and draw up a [^[b]thorough] narrative of the surely established deeds which have been accomplished and fulfilled ^[c] in and among us,

² Exactly as they were handed down to us by those who from the [^[d]official] beginning [of Jesus’ ministry] were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word [that is, of ^[e]the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God],

³ It seemed good and desirable to me, [and so I have determined] also after ^[f]having searched out diligently and followed all things closely and traced accurately the course from the highest to the minutest detail from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,^(A)

⁴ [My purpose is] that you may know the full truth and understand with certainty and security against error the accounts (histories) and doctrines of the faith of which you have been informed and in which you have been ^[g]orally instructed.