Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Michtam of David.

¹ ¶ Preserve me, O God: for in thee I have put my trust.

² I said unto the LORD, Thou art my goodness: I have no goodness apart from thee;

³ to the saints that are in the earth and to the excellent: all my delight is towards them.

⁴ The sorrows of those that hasten after another god shall be multiplied; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

⁵ The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; thou dost maintain my lot.

⁶ The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a beautiful inheritance.

⁷ I will bless the LORD, who gives me counsel: my kidneys also instruct me in the night seasons.

⁸ ¶ I have set the LORD always before me: because when he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices: my flesh also shall rest secure.

¹⁰ For thou wilt not leave my soul in Sheol; neither wilt thou suffer thy Merciful One to see corruption.

¹¹ Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; in thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

⁴ ¶ I Nebuchadnezzar was quiet in my house and flourishing in my palace;

⁵ I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the imaginations and visions of my head troubled me in my bed.

⁶ Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me that they might show me the interpretation of the dream.

⁷ Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the fortune-tellers came in and I told the dream before them; but they never showed me its interpretation.

⁸ But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, who when I name him it seems to me that I name my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy God; and before him I told the dream, saying,

⁹ Belteshazzar, prince of the wise men, now that I have understood that the spirit of the holy God is in thee, and that no mystery is hidden from thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and its interpretation.

¹⁰ Thus were the visions of my head in my bed: It seemed that I saw a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.

¹¹ The tree grew and made itself strong, and its height reached unto heaven, and its sight to the end of all the earth:

¹² His leaves were fair, and his fruit abundant, and in him was food for all; underneath him the beasts of the field lay down in his shadow, and in his branches dwelt the fowls of the heaven, and all flesh was fed of him.

¹³ I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, one who was a watchman and holy descended from heaven;

¹⁴ he cried aloud and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit; let the beasts get away from under him and the fowls from his branches:

¹⁵ nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and of brass shall he be bound in the green grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:

¹⁶ let his heart be changed from a man’s heart, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

¹⁷ By sentence of the watchmen is the matter resolved, and the case by the word of the holy ones to the intent that the living may know that the most High takes rule over the kingdom of men and gives it to whoever he will and sets up over it the man who is the lowest.

¹⁸ I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw this dream. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, shall declare its interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom could never show me its interpretation; but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy God in thee.

¹¹ But thou, O man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, charity, tolerance, meekness.

¹² Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, unto which thou art also called, having made a good profession before many witnesses.

¹³ ¶ I give thee charge in the sight of God, who gives life to all things and before Christ Jesus, who testified before Pontius Pilate a good profession;

¹⁴ that thou keep the commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

¹⁵ who in his time shall show the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

¹⁶ the only one who has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man has seen nor can see, to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

¹⁷ Charge those that are rich in this world, that they not be highminded, not placing their hope in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;

¹⁸ but charge them to do good, that they be rich in good works, liberal to distribute, willing to communicate,

¹⁹ laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the future, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

²⁰ O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, turn away from profane voices and vain things and arguments in the vain name of science,

²¹ which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.