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.

¹⁹ ¶ Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was silent for almost one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. Then the king spoke and said, Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, let the dream be to thine enemies, and its interpretation to those that wish thee evil.

²⁰ The tree that thou didst see, which grew and made himself strong, whose height reached unto the heaven and the sight thereof to all the earth;

²¹ whose leaves were fair and his fruit abundant and in him was food for all, under whom the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the fowls of the heaven dwelt:

²² it is thou, O king, that grew and made thyself strong; for thy greatness has grown and has reached unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

²³ And regarding that which the king saw, one who was a watchman and holy who came down from heaven and said, Hew the tree down and destroy it; yet leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and with a band of iron and of brass let it remain bound in the green grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field until seven times pass over him:

²⁴ this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:

²⁵ that they shall drive thee from among men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall feed thee with grass of the field as the oxen, and with the dew of heaven shalt thou be bathed, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou shalt understand that the most High takes rule over the kingdom of men and that he shall give it to whoever he will.

²⁶ And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots in the earth; thy kingdom shall remain sure unto thee, that thou shalt understand that the rule is in the heavens.

²⁷ Therefore, O king, approve my counsel and redeem thy sins with righteousness and thine iniquities with mercies unto the poor: behold the medicine for thy sin.

⁶ Therefore in the manner in which ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him,

⁷ rooted and built up in him and confirmed in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

⁸ Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not after Christ.

⁹ For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,

¹⁰ and ye are complete in him, who is the head of all principality and power.

¹¹ In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of the Christ;

¹² buried together with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead.

¹³ ¶ And you, being dead in sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

¹⁴ blotting out the bill of the decrees that was against us, which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, {Gr. stauro – stake}

¹⁵ and having spoiled the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.