Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Salvation in Death.
A [a]Mikhtam of David.
16 (A)Protect me, God, for (B)I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I (C)have nothing good besides You.”
3 As for the [d](D)saints who are on the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones; (E)all my delight is in them.
4 [f]The (F)pains of those who have acquired another god will be multiplied;
I will not pour out their drink offerings of (G)blood,
Nor will I (H)take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the (I)portion of my inheritance and my (J)cup;
You support my (K)lot.
6 The measuring (L)lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my inheritance is (M)beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has (N)advised me;
Indeed, my [g](O)mind instructs me in the night.
8 (P)I have (Q)set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is (R)at my right hand, (S)I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore (T)my heart is glad and (U)my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will (V)dwell securely.
10 For You (W)will not abandon my soul to [h]Sheol;
You will not [i](X)allow Your [j]Holy One to [k]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me (Y)the way of life;
In (Z)Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are (AA)pleasures forever.
The Chorus
9 “[a]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
O (A)most beautiful among women?
[b]What kind of beloved is your beloved,
That you make us swear in this way?”
Admiration by the Bride
The Bride
10 “My beloved is dazzling and [c](B)reddish,
(C)Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is like gold, pure gold;
His (D)locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 His (E)eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And perched in their (F)setting.
13 His cheeks are like a (G)bed of balsam,
[d]Banks of herbal spices;
His lips are (H)lilies
(I)Dripping with drops of myrrh.
14 His hands are rods of gold
Set with (J)topaz;
His abdomen is panels of ivory
Covered with [e](K)sapphires.
15 His thighs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like (L)Lebanon,
Choice as the (M)cedars.
16 His [f](N)mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly (O)desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
You daughters of Jerusalem.”
Mutual Delight in Each Other
The Chorus
6 “(P)Where has your beloved gone,
O (Q)most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
That we may seek him with you?”
The Bride
The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection
15 Now (A)I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the (B)gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, (C)in which you also stand, 2 by which you also are saved, (D)if you hold firmly to [a]the word which I preached to you, (E)unless you believed in vain.
3 For (F)I handed down to you [b]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died (G)for our sins (H)according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was (I)raised on the third day (J)according to the Scriptures, 5 and that (K)He appeared to [c](L)Cephas, then (M)to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some (N)have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to [d](O)James, then to (P)all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as [e]to one untimely born, (Q)He appeared to me also. 9 For I am (R)the least of the apostles, [f]and not fit to be called an apostle, because I (S)persecuted the church of God. 10 But by (T)the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I (U)labored even more than all of them, yet (V)not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
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