Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

19 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. The heavens [are] recounting the honour of God, And the work of His hands The expanse [is] declaring.

² Day to day uttereth speech, And night to night sheweth knowledge.

³ There is no speech, and there are no words. Their voice hath not been heard.

⁴ Into all the earth hath their line gone forth, And to the end of the world their sayings, For the sun He placed a tent in them,

⁵ And he, as a bridegroom, goeth out from his covering, He rejoiceth as a mighty one To run the path.

⁶ From the end of the heavens [is] his going out, And his revolution [is] unto their ends, And nothing is hid from his heat.

⁷ The law of Jehovah [is] perfect, refreshing the soul, The testimonies of Jehovah [are] stedfast, Making wise the simple,

⁸ The precepts of Jehovah [are] upright, Rejoicing the heart, The command of Jehovah [is] pure, enlightening the eyes,

⁹ The fear of Jehovah [is] clean, standing to the age, The judgments of Jehovah [are] true, They have been righteous -- together.

¹⁰ They are more desirable than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey, Even liquid honey of the comb.

¹¹ Also -- Thy servant is warned by them, `In keeping them [is] a great reward.'

¹² Errors! who doth understand? From hidden ones declare me innocent,

¹³ Also -- from presumptuous ones keep back Thy servant, Let them not rule over me, Then am I perfect, And declared innocent of much transgression,

¹⁴ Let the sayings of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, Be for a pleasing thing before Thee, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer!

2 And it cometh to pass, in the month of Nisan, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, wine [is] before him, and I lift up the wine, and give to the king, and I had not been sad before him;

² and the king saith to me, `Wherefore [is] thy face sad, and thou not sick? this is nothing except sadness of heart;' and I fear very much,

³ and say to the king, `Let the king to the age live! wherefore should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of the graves of my fathers, [is] a waste, and its gates have been consumed with fire?'

⁴ And the king saith to me, `For what art thou seeking?' and I pray unto the God of the heavens,

⁵ and say to the king, `If to the king [it be] good, and if thy servant be pleasing before thee, that thou send me unto Judah, unto the city of the graves of my fathers, and I built it.'

⁶ And the king saith to me (and the queen is sitting near him), `How long is thy journey? and when dost thou return?' and it is good before the king, and he sendeth me away, and I set to him a time.

⁷ And I say to the king, `If to the king [it be] good, letters let be given to me for the governors beyond the River, that they let me pass over till that I come in unto Judah:

⁸ and a letter unto Asaph, keeper of the paradise that the king hath, that he give to me trees for beams [for] the gates of the palace that the house hath, and for the wall of the city, and for the house into which I enter;' and the king giveth to me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

⁹ And I come in unto the governors beyond the River, and give to them the letters of the king; and the king sendeth with me heads of a force, and horsemen;

¹⁰ and Sanballat the Horonite heareth, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and it is evil to them -- a great evil -- that a man hath come in to seek good for the sons of Israel.

12 I call upon you, therefore, brethren, through the compassions of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice -- living, sanctified, acceptable to God -- your intelligent service;

² and be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for your proving what [is] the will of God -- the good, and acceptable, and perfect.

³ For I say, through the grace that was given to me, to every one who is among you, not to think above what it behoveth to think; but to think so as to think wisely, as to each God did deal a measure of faith,

⁴ for as in one body we have many members, and all the members have not the same office,

⁵ so we, the many, one body are in Christ, and members each one of one another.

⁶ And having gifts, different according to the grace that was given to us; whether prophecy -- `According to the proportion of faith!'

⁷ or ministration -- `In the ministration!' or he who is teaching -- `In the teaching!'

⁸ or he who is exhorting -- `In the exhortation!' he who is sharing -- `In simplicity!' he who is leading -- `In diligence?' he who is doing kindness -- `In cheerfulness.'