Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

Vision of the Ram and Goat

8 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, ^[a]Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me ^[b]previously. ² I ^(A)looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of ^(B)Susa, which is in the province of ^(C)Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai ^[c]Canal. ³ Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ^(D)ram which had two horns was standing in front of the ^[d]canal. Now the two horns were ^[e]long, but one was ^[f]longer than the other, with the ^[g]longer one coming up last. ⁴ I saw the ram ^(E)butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his ^[h]power, but ^(F)he did as he pleased and magnified himself.

⁵ While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the ^[i]goat had a ^(G)conspicuous horn between his eyes. ⁶ He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the ^[j]canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. ⁷ I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his ^[k]power. ⁸ Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as ^(H)he was mighty, the ^(I)large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the ^(J)four winds of heaven.

The Little Horn

⁹ Out of one of them came forth a rather ^(K)small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the ^[l](L)Beautiful Land. ¹⁰ It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the ^(M)stars to fall to the earth, and it ^(N)trampled them down. ¹¹ It even ^(O)magnified itself ^[m]to be equal with the ^[n]Commander of the host; and it removed the ^(P)regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. ¹² And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will ^(Q)fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. ¹³ Then I heard a ^(R)holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “^(S)How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, ^[o]while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host ^[p]to be ^(T)trampled?” ¹⁴ He said to me, “For ^(U)2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be ^[q]properly restored.”

Christ or Judgment

²⁶ For if we go on ^(A)sinning willfully after receiving ^(B)the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a terrifying expectation of ^(C)judgment and ^(D)the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. ^28 (E)Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ^29 (F)How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve ^(G)who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean ^(H)the blood of the covenant ^(I)by which he was sanctified, and has ^(J)insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know Him who said, “^(K)Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “^(L)The Lord will judge His people.” ³¹ It is a ^(M)terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the ^(N)living God.