Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord, a Provider and Deliverer.
A Psalm of David when he [a]feigned madness before [b]Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.
34 I will (A)bless the Lord at all times;
His (B)praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul will (C)make its boast in the Lord;
The (D)humble will hear it and rejoice.
3 O (E)magnify the Lord with me,
And let us (F)exalt His name together.
4 I (G)sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And (H)delivered me from all my fears.
5 They (I)looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will (J)never be ashamed.
6 This [c]poor man cried, and (K)the Lord heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The (L)angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
David’s Charge to Solomon
2 As David’s [a](A)time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “(B)I am going the way of all the earth. (C)Be strong, therefore, and [b]show yourself a man. 3 Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, (D)according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that (E)you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that (F)the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘(G)If your sons are careful of their way, (H)to walk before Me in [c]truth with all their heart and with all their soul, [d](I)you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
5 “Now you also know what Joab the (J)son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to (K)Abner the son of Ner, and to (L)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also [e]shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt [f]about his waist, and on his sandals [g]on his feet. 6 (M)So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to [h]Sheol in peace. 7 But (N)show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and (O)let them be among those who eat at your table; (P)for they [i]assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother. 8 Behold, (Q)there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a [j]violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim. But when (R)he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’ 9 Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, (S)for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to [k]Sheol with blood.”
Prayer and the Golden Rule
7 “[a](A)Ask, and (B)it will be given to you; [b]seek, and you will find; [c]knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you [d]who, when his son asks for a loaf, [e]will give him a stone? 10 Or [f]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, (C)how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
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