Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice,(A) O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,(B)
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted(C) among the people
and save the children of the needy;(D)
may he crush the oppressor.(E)
5 May he endure[a](F) as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.(G)
6 May he be like rain(H) falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish(I)
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River[b](J) to the ends of the earth.(K)
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish(L) and of distant shores(M)
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba(N) and Seba
present him gifts.(O)
11 May all kings bow down(P) to him
and all nations serve(Q) him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity(R) on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue(S) them from oppression and violence,
for precious(T) is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba(U) be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.(V)
16 May grain(W) abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops(X) flourish like Lebanon(Y)
and thrive[c] like the grass of the field.(Z)
17 May his name endure forever;(AA)
may it continue as long as the sun.(AB)
18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,(AD)
who alone does marvelous deeds.(AE)
19 Praise be to his glorious name(AF) forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.(AG)
Amen and Amen.(AH)
20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.(AI)
Isaiah’s Commission
6 In the year that King Uzziah(A) died,(B) I saw the Lord,(C) high and exalted,(D) seated on a throne;(E) and the train of his robe(F) filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim,(G) each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet,(H) and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.(M)
5 “Woe(N) to me!” I cried. “I am ruined!(O) For I am a man of unclean lips,(P) and I live among a people of unclean lips,(Q) and my eyes have seen(R) the King,(S) the Lord Almighty.”(T)
44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the covenant law(A) with them in the wilderness. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.(B) 45 After receiving the tabernacle, our ancestors under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them.(C) It remained in the land until the time of David,(D) 46 who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.[a](E) 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him.(F)
48 “However, the Most High(G) does not live in houses made by human hands.(H) As the prophet says:
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.(I)
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
50 Has not my hand made all these things?’[b](J)
51 “You stiff-necked people!(K) Your hearts(L) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! 52 Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?(M) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him(N)— 53 you who have received the law that was given through angels(O) but have not obeyed it.”
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.