Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.
A Psalm of David.
144 Blessed be the Lord, (A)my rock,
Who (B)trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
2 My faithfulness and (C)my fortress,
My (D)stronghold and my savior,
My (E)shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who (F)subdues [a]my people under me.
3 Lord, (G)what is man, that You look after him?
Or a son of man, that You think of him?
4 (H)Man is like the breath;
His (I)days are like a passing shadow.
5 (J)Bend down Your heavens, Lord, and (K)come down;
(L)Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6 Flash forth (M)lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your (N)arrows and confuse them.
7 Reach out with Your hand (O)from on high;
Rescue me and (P)save me from great waters,
From the hand of (Q)foreigners
8 Whose mouths (R)speak deceit,
And whose (S)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 God, I will sing a (T)new song to You;
On a (U)harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 Who (V)gives salvation to kings,
Who (W)rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
11 Rescue me and save me from the hand of (X)foreigners,
Whose mouth (Y)speaks deceit
And whose (Z)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 When our sons in their youth are like (AA)growing plants,
And our daughters like (AB)corner pillars [b]fashioned for a palace,
13 Our (AC)granaries are full, providing every kind of produce,
And our flocks deliver thousands and ten thousands in our [c]fields;
14 May our (AD)cattle [d]be bred
Without [e](AE)mishap and without [f](AF)loss,
May there be no (AG)outcry in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people who are so situated;
(AH)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
10 Your mother was (A)like a vine in your [a]vineyard,
Planted by the waters;
It was fruitful and thick with branches
Because of abundant waters.
11 And it had [b](B)strong stems fit for scepters of rulers,
And its (C)height was raised above the clouds
So that it was seen in its height with the mass of its branches.
12 But it was (D)uprooted in fury;
It was (E)thrown down to the ground;
And the (F)east wind dried up its fruit.
[c]Its (G)strong stem [d]was torn out
So that [e]it withered;
The fire consumed it.
13 And now it is planted in the (H)wilderness,
In a dry and thirsty land.
14 And (I)fire has gone out from its stem;
It has consumed its shoots and fruit,
So that there is no [f]strong stem in it,
A scepter to rule.’”
This is a song of mourning, and has become a song of mourning.
As Living Stones
4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been (A)rejected by people, but is [a]choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 (B)you also, as living stones, [b]are being built up as a (C)spiritual house for a holy (D)priesthood, to (E)offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in [c]Scripture:
“(F)Behold, I am laying in Zion a choice stone, a (G)precious cornerstone,
And the one who believes in [d]Him will not be [e]put to shame.”
7 (H)This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers,
8 and,
“(K)A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;
(L)for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, (M)and to this they were also appointed.
9 But you are (N)a chosen people, a royal (O)priesthood, a (P)holy nation, (Q)a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you (R)out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 (S)for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
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