Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Confidence in Yahweh
A miktam[a] of David.[b]
16 Protect me, O God,
for I take refuge in you.
2 Oh my soul you have said[c] to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.
I have no good apart from you.”
3 With regard to the saints who are in the land,
they are the noble ones in whom is all my desire.
4 Those who hurry after[d] another god increase their sorrows.
I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
nor take up their names on my lips.
5 Yahweh is the portion which is my share and my cup.
You hold my lot.
6 The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.
Yes, my inheritance is delightful for me.
7 I will bless Yahweh who advises me;
yes, at night my innermost being[e] instructs me.
8 I have set Yahweh before me always.
Because he is at my right hand I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices.
Yes, my body will dwell in safety,
10 for you will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
you will not give your faithful one to see the grave.
11 You will make known to me the path of life.
In your presence is fullness of joy.
At your right hand are pleasures forever.
Rendezvous in the Countryside
8 The voice of my beloved!
Look! Here he[a] comes leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills!
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.[b]
Look! He is[c] standing behind our wall,
gazing through[d] the window,
looking through[e] the lattice.
10 My beloved answered and said to me,
“Arise,[f] my beloved! Come, my beauty![g]
11 For look! The winter is over;
the rainy season[h] has turned and gone away.[i]
12 The blossoms appear[j] in the land;[k]
the time of singing[l] has arrived;[m]
the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth her figs,
and the vines are in blossom; they give fragrance.
Arise,[n] my beloved! Come, my beauty!”[o]
14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the secluded place[p][q] in the mountain,[r][s]
Let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.
15 Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes destroying vineyards,
for[t] our vineyards are in blossom!
Further Advice for the Christian Life
2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving, 3 praying at the same time for us also, that God may open for us a door of the message, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which also I am a prisoner[a], 4 so that I may reveal[b] it, as it is necessary for me to speak. 5 Live with wisdom toward those outside, making the most of the time.
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