Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 96[a]
96 Sing to the Lord a new song.[b]
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord. Praise his name.
Announce every day how he delivers.[c]
3 Tell the nations about his splendor.
Tell[d] all the nations about his amazing deeds.
4 For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise;
he is more awesome than all gods.[e]
5 For all the gods of the nations are worthless,[f]
but the Lord made the sky.
6 Majestic splendor emanates from him;[g]
his sanctuary is firmly established and beautiful.[h]
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,
ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves.[i]
Bring an offering and enter his courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy attire.[j]
Tremble before him, all the earth.
23 In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim of olive wood; each stood 15 feet[a] high. 24 Each of the first cherub’s wings was 7½ feet long; its entire wingspan was 15 feet.[b] 25 The second cherub also had a wingspan of 15 feet; it was identical to the first in measurements and shape.[c] 26 Each cherub stood 15 feet high.[d] 27 He put the cherubim in the inner sanctuary of the temple.[e] Their wings were spread out. One of the first cherub’s wings touched one wall and one of the other cherub’s wings touched the opposite wall. The first cherub’s other wing touched the second cherub’s other wing in the middle of the room.[f] 28 He plated the cherubim with gold.
29 On all the walls around the temple, inside and out,[g] he carved[h] cherubim, palm trees, and flowers in bloom. 30 He plated the floor of the temple with gold, inside and out.[i] 31 He made doors of olive wood at the entrance to the inner sanctuary; the pillar on each doorpost was five-sided.[j] 32 On the two doors made of olive wood he carved[k] cherubim, palm trees, and flowers in bloom, and he plated them with gold.[l] He plated the cherubim and the palm trees with hammered gold.[m] 33 In the same way he made doorposts of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall, only with four-sided pillars.[n] 34 He also made[o] two doors out of wood from evergreens; each door had two folding leaves.[p] 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees, and flowers in bloom and plated them with gold, leveled out over the carvings. 36 He built the inner courtyard with three rows of chiseled stones and a row of cedar beams.
37 In the month of Ziv[q] in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign[r] the foundation was laid for the Lord’s temple. 38 In the eleventh year, in the month of Bul[s] (the eighth month) the temple was completed in accordance with all its specifications and blueprints. It took seven years to build.[t]
The Message of Reconciliation
11 Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord,[a] we try to persuade[b] people,[c] but we are well known[d] to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too. 12 We are not trying to commend[e] ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us,[f] so that you may be able to answer those who take pride[g] in outward appearance[h] and not in what is in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ[i] controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ[j] died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.[k] 16 So then from now on we acknowledge[l] no one from an outward human point of view.[m] Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view,[n] now we do not know him in that way any longer. 17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away[o]—look, what is new[p] has come![q]
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