Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the music 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 Canal. ³ Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a ^(D)ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were ^[c]long, but one was ^[d]longer than the other, with the ^[e]longer one coming up last. ⁴ I saw the ram ^(E)butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand against him nor was there anyone to rescue from his ^[f]power, but ^(F)he did as he pleased and made himself great.

⁵ While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a ^(G)prominent 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 canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. ⁷ And I saw him come up beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and smashed 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 no one to rescue the ram from his ^[g]power. ⁸ Then the male goat made himself exceedingly great. But once ^(H)he became powerful, the ^(I)large horn was broken; and in its place four prominent horns came up toward the ^(J)four winds of heaven.

The Little Horn

⁹ And out of one of them came a rather ^(K)small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the ^[h](L)Beautiful Land. ¹⁰ It grew up to the heavenly ^[i]lights, and some of the ^[j]lights, ^[k]that is, some of the ^(M)stars it threw down to the earth, and it ^(N)trampled them. ¹¹ It even ^(O)exalted itself ^[l]to be equal with the ^[m]Commander of the army; and it removed the ^(P)regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was overthrown. ¹² And because of ^[n]an offense the army will be given to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will ^(Q)hurl truth to the ground and do as it pleases and be successful. 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 offense causes horror, so as to allow both the sanctuary and the army ^[p]to be ^(T)trampled?” ¹⁴ And he said to me, “For ^(U)2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary 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 ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. ^29 (F)How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve ^(G)who has trampled underfoot 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.