Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
84 Lord who rules over all,
how lovely is the place where you live!
2 I can’t wait to be in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple.
I really want to be there.
My whole being cries out
for the living God.
3 Lord who rules over all,
even the sparrow has found a home near your altar.
My King and my God,
the swallow also has a nest there,
where she may have her young.
4 Blessed are those who live in your house.
They are always praising you.
5 Blessed are those whose strength comes from you.
They have firmly decided to travel to your temple.
6 As they pass through the dry Valley of Baka,
they make it a place where water flows.
The rain in the fall covers it with pools.
7 Those people get stronger as they go along,
until each of them appears in Zion, where God lives.
17 The Lord rules over all. He says,
“Here is something I want you to think about.
Send for the women who mourn for the dead.
Send for the most skilled among them.”
18 Let them come quickly
and weep for us.
Let them cry until tears flow from our eyes.
Let them weep until water pours out of our eyes.
19 People are heard weeping in Zion.
They are saying, “We are destroyed!
We are filled with shame!
We must leave our land.
Our houses have been torn down.”
20 You women, hear the Lord’s message.
Listen to what he’s saying.
Teach your daughters how to mourn for the dead.
Teach one another a song of sadness.
21 Death has climbed in through our windows.
It has entered our forts.
Death has removed the children from the streets.
It has taken the young men out of the market.
22 Say, “The Lord announces,
“ ‘Dead bodies will be like human waste
lying in the open fields.
They will lie there like grain
that is cut down at harvest time.
No one will gather them up.’ ”
23 The Lord says,
“Do not let wise people brag about how wise they are.
Do not let strong people boast about how strong they are.
Do not let rich people brag about how rich they are.
24 But here is what the one who brags should boast about.
They should brag that they have the understanding to know me.
I want them to know that I am the Lord.
No matter what I do on earth, I am always kind, fair and right.
And I take delight in this,”
announces the Lord.
25 “The days are coming when I will judge people,” announces the Lord. “I will punish all those who are circumcised only in their bodies. 26 That includes the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon and Moab. It also includes all those who live in the desert in places far away. None of the people in these nations is really circumcised. And not even the people of Israel are circumcised in their hearts.”
Paul Gives a Final Command to Timothy
10 But you know all about my teaching. You know how I live and what I live for. You know about my faith and love. You know how patient I am. You know I haven’t given up. 11 You know that I was treated badly. You know that I suffered greatly. You know what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. You know how badly I have been treated. But the Lord saved me from all my troubles. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be treated badly. 13 Evil people and pretenders will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, and others will fool them. 14 But I want you to continue to follow what you have learned and are sure about. You know the people you learned it from. 15 You have known the Holy Scriptures ever since you were a little child. They are able to teach you how to be saved by believing in Christ Jesus.
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