Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Hope of the Faithful, and the Messiah’s Victory
A (A)Michtam of David.
16 Preserve[a] me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
2 O my soul, you have said to the Lord,
“You are my Lord,
(B)My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
3 As for the saints who are on the earth,
“They are the excellent ones, in (C)whom is all my delight.”
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
Their drink offerings of (D)blood I will not offer,
(E)Nor take up their names on my lips.
5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You [b]maintain my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My [c]heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 (F)I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will [d]rest in hope.
10 (G)For You will not leave my soul in [e]Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to [f]see corruption.
11 You will show me the (H)path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Daniel Explains the Second Dream
19 Then Daniel, (A)whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts (B)troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.”
Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may (C)the dream [a]concern those who hate you, and its interpretation [b]concern your enemies!
20 (D)“The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, 21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— 22 (E)it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, (F)and your dominion to the end of the earth.
23 (G)“And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, (H)and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven [c]times pass over him’; 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25 They shall (I)drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you (J)eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven [d]times shall pass over you, (K)till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and (L)gives it to whomever He chooses.
26 “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that (M)Heaven[e] rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; (N)break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. (O)Perhaps there may be (P)a [f]lengthening of your prosperity.”
6 (A)As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 (B)rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding [a]in it with thanksgiving.
8 Beware lest anyone [b]cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to (C)the tradition of men, according to the (D)basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For (E)in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead [c]bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the (F)head of all [d]principality and power.
Not Legalism but Christ
11 In Him you were also (G)circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by (H)putting off the body [e]of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 (I)buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through (J)faith in the working of God, (K)who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 (L)having wiped out the [f]handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 (M)Having disarmed (N)principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.