Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the Overcomer, A Psalm of David.

¹ ¶ Blessed is he that understands regarding the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of evil.

² The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon the earth, and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

³ The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing; thou wilt soften all his bed in his sickness.

⁴ I said, LORD, be merciful unto me; heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

⁵ ¶ My enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die and his name perish?

⁶ And if he came to see me, he spoke lies: his heart gathered iniquity to itself, and when he goes out, he tells it.

⁷ All that hate me congregate together and murmur against me; against me do they devise my hurt.

⁸ A disease of Belial, they say, cleaves fast unto him, and now that he lies he shall rise up no more.

⁹ Even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰ But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me and raise me up that I may requite them.

¹¹ In this I shall know that I have pleased thee, that my enemy does not triumph over me.

¹² And as for me, thou sustained me in my integrity and hast seated me before thy face for ever.

¹³ Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

¹² ¶ And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and have chosen this place for myself for a house of sacrifice.

¹³ If I shut up the heavens that there be no rain or if I command the locusts to devour the land or if I send pestilence among my people;

¹⁴ if my people, upon whom my name is invoked, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from the heavens and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

¹⁵ Now my eyes shall be open and my ears attentive unto the prayer that is made in this place;

¹⁶ so that now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be in her for ever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.

¹⁷ And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee and keep my statutes and my rights,

¹⁸ I will confirm the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David, thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

¹⁹ But if ye turn away and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods and worship them,

²⁰ I will pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, I will cast out of my presence, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.

²¹ And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passes by it, so that they shall say, Why has the LORD done thus unto this land and unto this house?

²² And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshipped them and served them; therefore, he has brought all this evil upon them.

² Beloved, I wish that thou be prospered in all things and be sound, even as thy soul prospers.

³ ¶ For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou dost walk in the truth.

⁴ I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my sons walk in the truth.

⁵ Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatever thou doest regarding the brethren and with the strangers,

⁶ who have borne witness of thy charity before the congregation, {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} whom if thou wilt help them as is convenient according to God, thou shalt do well;

⁷ because for his name’s sake, they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

⁸ We, therefore, ought to receive such, that we might be fellow workers to the truth.