Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A miktam of David.

⁴ I was at home in my palace. I was content and very successful. ⁵ But I had a dream that made me afraid. I was lying in bed. Then dreams and visions passed through my mind. They terrified me. ⁶ So I commanded that all the wise men in Babylon be brought to me. I wanted them to tell me what my dream meant. ⁷ Those who try to figure things out by using magic came. So did those who study the heavens. I told all of them what I had dreamed. But they couldn’t tell me what it meant. ⁸ Finally, Daniel came to me. He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god. The spirit of the holy gods is in him. I told him my dream.

⁹ I said, “Belteshazzar, you are chief of the magicians. I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you. No mystery is too hard for you to figure out. Here is my dream. Tell me what it means. ¹⁰ Here are the visions I saw while I was lying in bed. I looked up and saw a tree standing in the middle of the land. It was very tall. ¹¹ It had grown to be large and strong. Its top touched the sky. It could be seen anywhere on earth. ¹² Its leaves were beautiful. It had a lot of fruit on it. It provided enough food for people and animals. Under the tree, the wild animals found safety. The birds lived in its branches. Every creature was fed from that tree.

¹³ “While I was still lying in bed, I looked up. In my visions, I saw a holy one. He was a messenger. He was coming down from heaven. ¹⁴ He called out in a loud voice. He said, ‘Cut down the tree. Break off its branches. Strip off its leaves. Scatter its fruit. Let the animals under it run away. Let the birds in its branches fly off. ¹⁵ But leave the stump with its roots in the ground. Let it stay in the field. Put a band of iron and bronze around it.

“ ‘Let King Nebuchadnezzar become wet with the dew of heaven. Let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. ¹⁶ Let him no longer have the mind of a man. Instead, let him be given the mind of an animal. Let him stay that way until seven periods of time pass by.

¹⁷ “ ‘The decision is announced by holy messengers. So all who are alive will know that the Most High God is King. He rules over all kingdoms on earth. He gives them to anyone he wants. Sometimes he puts the least important people in charge of them.’

¹⁸ “This is the dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, had. Now tell me what it means, Belteshazzar. None of the wise men in my kingdom can explain it to me. But you can. After all, the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

Paul Gives a Final Command to Timothy

¹¹ But you are a man of God. Run away from all these things. Try hard to do what is right and godly. Have faith, love and gentleness. Hold on to what you believe. ¹² Fight the good fight along with all other believers. Take hold of eternal life. You were chosen for it when you openly told others what you believe. Many witnesses heard you. ¹³ God gives life to everything. Christ Jesus told the truth when he was a witness in front of Pontius Pilate. In the sight of God and Christ, I give you a command. ¹⁴ Obey it until our Lord Jesus Christ appears. Obey it completely. Then no one can find fault with it or you. ¹⁵ God will bring Jesus back at a time that pleases him. God is the blessed and only Ruler. He is the greatest King of all. He is the most powerful Lord of all. ¹⁶ God is the only one who can’t die. He lives in light that no one can get close to. No one has seen him. No one can see him. Honor and power belong to him forever. Amen.

¹⁷ Command people who are rich in this world not to be proud. Tell them not to put their hope in riches. Wealth is so uncertain. Command those who are rich to put their hope in God. He richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ Command the rich to do what is good. Tell them to be rich in doing good things. They must give freely. They must be willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way, they will store up true riches for themselves. It will provide a firm basis for the next life. Then they will take hold of the life that really is life.

²⁰ Timothy, guard what God has trusted you with. Turn away from godless chatter. Stay away from opposing ideas that are falsely called knowledge. ²¹ Some people believe them. By doing that they have turned away from the faith.

May God’s grace be with you all.