Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
20 I have found my servant David
and anointed him as king with my special oil.
21 I will support him with my right hand,
and my arm will make him strong.
22 So no enemy will ever control him.
The wicked will never defeat him.
23 I will destroy his enemies before his eyes.
I will defeat those who hate him.
24 I will always love and support him.
I will always make him strong.
25 I will put him in charge of the sea.
He will control the rivers.
26 He will say to me, ‘You are my father.
You are my God, my Rock, my Savior.’
27 And I will make him my firstborn son.
He will be the great king on earth.
28 My love will protect him forever.
My agreement with him will never end.
29 I will make his family continue forever.
His kingdom will last as long as the skies.
30 If his descendants stop following my law
and stop obeying my commands,
31 if they break my laws
and ignore my commands,
32 I will punish them severely
for their sins and wrongs.
33 But I will never take my love from him.
I will never stop being loyal to him.
34 I will not break my agreement with David.
I will never change what I said.
35 By my holiness, I made a promise to him,
and I would not lie to David.
36 His family will continue forever.
His kingdom will last as long as the sun.
37 Like the moon, it will continue forever.
The sky is a witness to the agreement that can be trusted.” Selah
The Box of the Agreement in Jerusalem
15 David built houses for himself in the City of David. Then he built a place to put God’s Holy Box. He set up a tent for it. 2 Then he said, “Only the Levites are permitted to carry God’s Holy Box. The Lord chose them to carry it and to serve him forever.”
4 Then David chose some of the Levites to serve before the Lord’s Holy Box. They had the job of celebrating and giving thanks and praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the leader of the first group. His group played the cymbals. Zechariah was the leader of the second group. The other Levites were Uzziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel. These men played the lyres and harps. 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel were the priests who always blew the trumpets before the Box of God’s Agreement. 7 This was when David first gave Asaph and his brothers the job of singing praises to the Lord.
David’s Song of Thanks
8 Give thanks to the Lord and call out to him!
Tell the nations what he has done!
9 Sing to him; sing praises to him.
Tell about the amazing things he has done.
10 Be proud of his holy name.
You followers of the Lord, be happy!
11 Depend on the Lord for strength.
Always go to him for help.
12 Remember the amazing things he has done.
Remember his miracles and his fair decisions.
13 The people of Israel are his servants.
The descendants of Jacob are his chosen people.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man(A)
35 Jesus came near the city of Jericho. There was a blind man sitting beside the road. He was begging people for money. 36 When he heard the people coming down the road, he asked, “What is happening?”
37 They told him, “Jesus, the one from Nazareth, is coming here.”
38 The blind man was excited and said, “Jesus, Son of David, please help me!”
39 The people who were in front leading the group criticized the blind man. They told him to be quiet. But he shouted more and more, “Son of David, please help me!”
40 Jesus stopped there and said, “Bring that man to me!” When he came close, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see again.”
42 Jesus said to him, “You can see now. You are healed because you believed.”
43 Then the man was able to see. He followed Jesus, thanking God. Everyone who saw this praised God for what happened.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International