Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
20 I have found my servant David;
I have anointed him with my sacred oil,
21 with whom my power[a] will be firmly established;
for my arm will strengthen him.
22 No enemy will deceive him;
no wicked person[b] will afflict him.
23 I will crush his enemies before him
and strike those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and gracious love will be with him,
and in my name his power[c] will be exalted.
25 I will place his hand[d] over the sea,
and his right hand[e] over the rivers.
26 He will announce to me
‘You are my father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 “Indeed, I myself made him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 I will show[f] my gracious love toward him forever,
since my covenant is securely established with him.
29 I will establish his dynasty[g] forever,
and his throne as long as heaven endures.[h]
30 “But if his sons abandon my laws and
do not follow my ordinances,
31 if they profane my statutes;
and do not keep my commands,
32 then I will punish their disobedience with a rod
and their iniquity with lashes.
33 But I will not cut off[i] my gracious love from him,
and I will not stop being faithful.
34 I will not dishonor my covenant,
because I will not change what I have spoken.[j]
35 I have sworn by my holiness once for all:
I will not lie to David.
36 His dynasty[k] will last forever
and his throne will be like the sun before me.
37 It will be established forever like the moon,
a faithful witness in the sky.”
A Place for the Ark is Prepared(A)
15 David built palaces for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the Ark of God and erected a tent for it. 2 Then David ordered that the Ark of God was to be carried by no one except the descendants of Levi, because the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to serve him forever.
4 In the presence of the ark of the Lord, he appointed some of the descendants of Levi to minister continually by remembering,[a] giving thanks, and praising the Lord God of Israel. 5 Their director Asaph played cymbals, and next to him was Zechariah, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who played harps and lyres. 6 The priests Benaiah and Jahaziel played the trumpets continually in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant of God.
David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving(A)
7 On that very day, David composed this psalm of thanksgiving to the Lord just for[b] Asaph and his companions:[c]
8 Give thanks to the Lord,
calling on his name.
Make what he has done known among the people.
9 Sing to him,
sing psalms to him,
and think[d] about all of his miraculous deeds.
10 Find joy in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who keep on seeking the Lord rejoice.
11 Seek the Lord and his strength.
Always look to him.[e]
12 Keep remembering the awesome deeds that he has done,
along with his miracles
and the rulings that he has handed down,
13 you descendants of his servant Israel,
you descendants of Jacob,
the ones he has chosen.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man(A)
35 As Jesus[a] was approaching Jericho, there was a blind man sitting by the road begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus from Nazareth[b] was coming by. 38 So he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 The people at the front of the crowd[c] sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Then Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus[d] asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see again!”
42 So Jesus told him, “See again! Your faith has made you well.” 43 Immediately the man[e] could see again and began to follow Jesus,[f] glorifying God. All the people saw this and gave praise to God.
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