Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
41 Blessed is the one who has concern for helpless people.
The Lord will rescue him in times of trouble.
2 The Lord will protect him and keep him alive.
He will be blessed in the land.
Do not place him at the mercy of his enemies.
3 The Lord will support him on his sickbed.
You will restore this person to health when he is ill.
4 I said, “O Lord, have pity on me!
Heal my soul because I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies say terrible things about me:
“When will he die, and when will his family name disappear?”
6 When one of them comes to visit me, he speaks foolishly.
His heart collects gossip.
⌞Then⌟ he leaves to tell others.
7 Everyone who hates me whispers about me.
They think evil things about me and say,
8 “A devilish disease has attached itself to him.
He will never leave his sickbed.”
9 Even my closest friend whom I trusted,
the one who ate my bread,
has lifted his heel against me.
10 Have pity on me, O Lord!
Raise me up so that I can pay them back
11 and my enemy cannot shout in triumph over me.
When you do this, I know that you are pleased with me.
12 You defend my integrity,
and you set me in your presence forever.
13 Thank the Lord God of Israel through all eternity!
Amen and amen!
12 Then the Lord appeared to him at night. He said to Solomon,
“I have heard your prayer
and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13 I may shut the sky so that there is no rain,
or command grasshoppers to devour the countryside,
or send an epidemic among my people.
14 However, if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves,
pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways,
then I will hear ⌞their prayer⌟ from heaven, forgive their sins,
and heal their country.
15 My eyes will be open,
and my ears will pay attention to those prayers at this place.
16 I have chosen and declared this temple holy
so that my name may be placed there forever.
My eyes and my heart will always be there.
17 “If you will be faithful to me as your father David was,
do everything I command,
and obey my laws and rules,
18 then I will establish your royal dynasty
as I said in a promise to your father David,
‘You will never fail to have an heir ruling Israel.’
19 But if you and your descendants turn away from me
and abandon my commands and laws that I gave you,
and follow and serve other gods and worship them,
20 then I will uproot Israel from the land I gave them.
I will reject this temple that I declared holy for my name.
I will make it an example
and an object of ridicule for all the people of the world.
21 Everyone passing by this impressive temple will be appalled.
They will ask,
‘Why did the Lord do these things to this land and this temple?’
22 They will answer ⌞themselves⌟,
‘They abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors,
who brought them out of Egypt.
They adopted other gods, worshiped, and served them.
That is why he brought this disaster on them.’ ”
Encouragement for Gaius
2 Dear friend, I know that you are spiritually well. I pray that you’re doing well in every other way and that you’re healthy. 3 I was very happy when some believers came and told us that you are living according to the truth. 4 Nothing makes me happier than to hear that my children are living according to the truth.
5 Dear friend, you are showing your faith in whatever you do for other believers, especially when they’re your guests. 6 These believers have told the congregation about your love. You will do well to support them on their trip in a way that proves you belong to God. 7 After all, they went on their trip to serve the one named Christ, and they didn’t accept any help from the people to whom they went. 8 We must support believers who go on trips like this so that we can work together with them in spreading the truth.
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