Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 139[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
139 O Lord, you examine me[b] and know me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up;
even from far away you understand my motives.
3 You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;[c]
you are aware of everything I do.[d]
4 Certainly[e] my tongue does not frame a word
without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.[f]
5 You squeeze me in from behind and in front;
you place your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;
it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.[g]
13 Certainly[a] you made my mind and heart;[b]
you wove me together[c] in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing.[d]
You knew me thoroughly;[e]
15 my bones were not hidden from you,
when[f] I was made in secret
and sewed together in the depths of the earth.[g]
16 Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb.[h]
All the days ordained for me
were recorded in your scroll
before one of them came into existence.[i]
17 How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God![j]
How vast is their sum total.[k]
18 If I tried to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
Even if I finished counting them,
I would still have to contend with you.[l]
21 And indeed the Lord attended to[a] Hannah. She got pregnant and gave birth to[b] three sons and two daughters. But the boy[c] Samuel grew up before the Lord.[d]
22 Eli was very old. And he would hear about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel[e] and[f] how they used to go to bed with[g] the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do these things, these evil things that I hear about from all these people?[h] 24 No, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating[i] among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf.[j] But if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But Eli’s sons[k] would not listen to their father.[l] Indeed[m] the Lord had decided[n] to kill them.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five[a] of the virgins[b] were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When[c] the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra[d] olive oil[e] with them. 4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. 5 When[f] the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The[g] foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 ‘No,’ they replied.[h] ‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then[i] the door was shut. 11 Later,[j] the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’[k] 12 But he replied,[l] ‘I tell you the truth,[m] I do not know you!’ 13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.[n]
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