Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 30
Joy in the Morning
A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, Lord,
because you have lifted me up(A)
and have not allowed my enemies
to triumph over me.(B)
2 Lord my God,
I cried to you for help, and you healed me.(C)
3 Lord, you brought me up from Sheol;(D)
you spared me from among those
going down[a] to the Pit.(E)
4 Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones,
and praise his holy name.(F)
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may stay overnight,
but there is joy in the morning.(G)
6 When I was secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”(H)
7 Lord, when you showed your favor,
you made me stand like a strong mountain;(I)
when you hid your face, I was terrified.(J)
8 Lord, I called to you;
I sought favor from my Lord:(K)
9 “What gain is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your truth?(L)
10 Lord, listen and be gracious to me;
Lord, be my helper.”(M)
Absalom Restored to David
14 Joab son of Zeruiah realized that the king’s mind was on Absalom. 2 So Joab sent someone to Tekoa(A) to bring a wise(B) woman from there. He told her, “Pretend to be in mourning: dress in mourning clothes and don’t put on any oil.(C) Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. 3 Go to the king and speak these words to him.” Then Joab told her exactly what to say.[a]
4 When the woman from Tekoa came[b] to the king, she fell facedown to the ground, paid homage,(D) and said, “Help me, Your Majesty!”
5 “What’s the matter?” the king asked her.
“Sadly, I am a widow; my husband died,” she said.(E) 6 “Your servant had two sons. They were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. 7 Now the whole clan has risen up against your servant and said, ‘Hand over the one who killed his brother so we may put him to death for the life of the brother he murdered. We will eliminate the heir!’ They would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on earth.”(F)
8 The king told the woman, “Go home. I will issue a command on your behalf.”
9 Then the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me(G) and my father’s family, and may the king and his throne be innocent.”
10 “Whoever speaks to you,” the king said, “bring him to me. He will not trouble you again!”
11 She replied, “Please, may the king invoke the Lord your God, so that the avenger of blood will not increase the loss, and they will not eliminate my son!” (H)
“As the Lord lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your son will fall to the ground.”(I)
Paul’s Testimony
6 “As(A) I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light,[a] but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.(B)
10 “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’
“The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’
11 “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light,[b] I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus.(C) 12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there,(D) 13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed(E) you to know his will, to see(F) the Righteous One,(G) and to hear the words from his mouth, 15 since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.(H) 16 And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins,(I) calling on his name.’(J)
17 “After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance(K) 18 and saw him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’
19 “But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten.(L) 20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval[c] and guarding the clothes of those who killed him.’(M)
21 “He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”(N)
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