Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord—a Safe Place

11 In the Lord I am safe. How can you say to me, “Fly away as a bird to your mountain? ² For look, the sinful raise their bow. They make their arrow ready on the string to shoot in the dark against the pure in heart. ³ If the base of the building is destroyed, what can those who are right with God do?”

⁴ The Lord is in His holy house. The Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes see as He tests the sons of men. ⁵ The Lord tests and proves those who are right and good and those who are sinful. And His soul hates the one who loves to hurt others. ⁶ He will send down fire upon the sinful. Fire and sulphur and burning wind will be the cup they will drink. ⁷ For the Lord is right and good. He loves what is right and good. And those who are right with Him will see His face.

¹³ Now King Solomon made men work for him from all Israel. There were 30,000 men made to work for him. ¹⁴ He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 men each month. They were in Lebanon one month and at home two months. Adoniram ruled those who were made to work. ¹⁵ Now Solomon had 70,000 men to carry loads, and 80,000 stone cutters in the mountains. ¹⁶ And he had 3,300 men who were leaders of the work, and who ruled over the people doing the work. ¹⁷ Then as the king told them, they cut out large stones of much worth for the house of God to be built on. ¹⁸ Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the Gebalites cut them. They made the wood and the stones ready to build the house.

How Wives Must Live

²¹ Be willing to help and care for each other because of Christ. By doing this, you honor Christ. ²² Wives, obey your own husbands. In doing this, you obey the Lord. ²³ For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. It is His body (the church) that He saves. ²⁴ As the church is to obey Christ, wives are to obey their own husbands in everything.

How Husbands Must Live

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives. You must love them as Christ loved the church. He gave His life for it. ²⁶ Christ did this so He could set the church apart for Himself. He made it clean by the washing of water with the Word. ²⁷ Christ did this so the church might stand before Him in shining-greatness. There is to be no sin of any kind in it. It is to be holy and without blame. ²⁸ So men should love their wives as they love their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ No man hates himself. He takes care of his own body. That is the way Christ does. He cares for His body which is the church. ³⁰ We are all a part of His body, the church. ³¹ For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother when he gets married and be joined to his wife. The two become one. ³² This is hard to understand, but it shows that the church is the body of Christ. ³³ So every man must love his wife as he loves himself. Every wife must respect her husband.

How Children Must Live

6 Children, as Christians, obey your parents. This is the right thing to do. ² Respect your father and mother. This is the first Law given that had a promise. ³ The promise is this: If you respect your father and mother, you will live a long time and your life will be full of many good things.

⁴ Fathers, do not be too hard on your children so they will become angry. Teach them in their growing years with Christian teaching.

⁵ You servants who are owned by someone must obey your owners. Work for them as hard as you can. Work for them the same as if you were working for Christ. ⁶ Do not work hard only when your owner sees you. You would be doing this just to please men. Work as you would work for Christ. Do what God wants you to do with all your heart. ⁷ Be happy as you work. Do your work as for the Lord, not for men. ⁸ Remember this, whatever good thing you do, the Lord will pay you for it. It is the same to the Lord if you are a servant owned by someone or if you work for pay.

⁹ Owners, do the right thing for those who work for you. Stop saying that you are going to be hard on them. Remember that your Owner and their Owner is in heaven. God does not respect one person more than another.