Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 89
Perplexity about God’s Promises
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.(A)
1 I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever;(B)
I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations
with my mouth.(C)
2 For I will declare,
“Faithful love is built up forever;
you establish your faithfulness in the heavens.”(D)
3 The Lord said,
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever
and build up your throne for all generations.’”(E)Selah
5 Lord, the heavens praise your wonders(F)—
your faithfulness also—
in the assembly of the holy ones.(G)
6 For who in the skies can compare with the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings[a] is like the Lord?(H)
7 God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
more awe-inspiring than[b] all who surround him.(I)
8 Lord God of Armies,
who is strong like you, Lord?(J)
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule the raging sea;
when its waves surge, you still them.(K)
10 You crushed Rahab like one who is slain;(L)
you scattered your enemies with your powerful arm.(M)
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours.
The world and everything in it—you founded them.(N)
12 North and south—you created them.(O)
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name.(P)
13 You have a mighty arm;
your hand is powerful;
your right hand is lifted high.(Q)
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation
of your throne;(R)
faithful love and truth go before you.(S)
15 Happy are the people who know the joyful shout;(T)
Lord, they walk in the light from your face.(U)
16 They rejoice in your name all day long,
and they are exalted by your righteousness.(V)
17 For you are their magnificent strength;(W)
by your favor our horn is exalted.(X)
18 Surely our shield[c] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.(Y)
God’s Covenant with David
14 “Look, the days are coming”—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“when I will fulfill the good promise
that I have spoken
concerning the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.(A)
15 In those days and at that time
I will cause a Righteous Branch(B)
to sprout up for David,
and he will administer justice
and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will dwell securely,(C)
and this is what she will be named:
The Lord Is Our Righteousness.[a]
17 “For this is what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel.(D) 18 The Levitical priests will never fail to have a man always before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices.”(E)
19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night so that day and night cease to come at their regular time,(F) 21 then also my covenant with my servant David(G) may be broken. If that could happen, then he would not have a son reigning on his throne and the Levitical priests would not be my ministers.(H) 22 Even as the stars of heaven cannot be counted, and the sand of the sea cannot be measured,(I) so too I will make innumerable the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who minister to me.”
23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not noticed what these people have said? They say, ‘The Lord has rejected the two families he had chosen.’(J) My people are treated with contempt and no longer regarded as a nation among them. 25 This is what the Lord says: If I do not keep my covenant with the day and with the night, and if I fail to establish the fixed order of heaven and earth,(K) 26 then I might also reject the descendants of Jacob and of my servant David. That is, I would not take rulers from his descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But in fact, I will restore their fortunes[b] and have compassion on them.”(L)
Rewards and Punishment
41 “Lord,” Peter asked, “are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?”
42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager(A) his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food(B) at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’(C) and starts to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces[a] and assign him a place with the unfaithful.[b] 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it[c] will be severely beaten.(D) 48 But the one who did not know and did what deserved(E) punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.[d](F)
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