Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 101

The Good Ruler

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By David. A psalm.

The Righteousness of the Lord

The Righteousness of the King

Righteousness in His Court

The Five Buildings of Solomon’s Palace Complex

7 It took Solomon thirteen years to finish building his whole palace complex.

The House of the Forest of Lebanon

² He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. It was one hundred fifty feet long. It was seventy-five feet wide and forty-five feet high. It had four rows^[a] of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on top of the pillars. ³ It was roofed with cedar above the forty-five beams that rested on the pillars, fifteen beams in each row.^[b]

⁴ There were three rows^[c] of windows with recessed frames on each side of the building. ⁵ All the doors and posts were made with square beams.^[d] They were arranged in groups of three.

The Hall of Pillars

⁶ He built a pillared entry hall.^[e] It was seventy-five feet wide and forty-five feet deep. There was another porch in front of the pillars, and more pillars and a canopy in front of them.

The Hall of Justice

⁷ He made another hall, named the Hall of Justice. The throne from which he judged cases was located there. The hall was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.^[f]

Palaces for Solomon and Pharaoh’s Daughter

⁸ His house in which he lived was made the same way. It was on the other side of a courtyard behind the Hall of Pillars.^[g] Solomon also made another house like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married.

⁹ All of these were made of high-quality stone, precisely cut to the exact measure, trimmed with saws on both sides. Such stones were used from the foundation to the edge of the roof, from the outside of the complex to the great courtyard on the inside. ¹⁰ The foundation was made of high-quality stones, huge stones, twelve or fifteen feet long. ¹¹ Above this were high-quality stones, precisely cut, with layers of cedar wood in between. ¹² The great courtyard all the way around had three courses of cut stone and then a course of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the House of the Lord and the porch of that building.

Stephen Defends Himself

⁹ “The patriarchs, filled with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt, but God was with him. ¹⁰ God rescued him from all his troubles and granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Pharaoh made him governor over Egypt and over his whole palace.

¹¹ “A famine came over all of Egypt and Canaan, causing great suffering, and our fathers found no food. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit. ¹³ On their second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Then Joseph sent word and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five people in all. ¹⁵ Jacob went down to Egypt, and there he died, he and our fathers. ¹⁶ Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.