Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Praise
9 God, I will sing a new song to you.
On the ten-stringed harp I will make music to you,
10 to you who gives victory to kings,
to you who delivers David his servant from the evil sword.
Petition
11 Rescue me and snatch me from the hand of foreigners
whose mouths speak lies,
who raise their right hands to a false oath.
The Results of Victory
12 Then our sons in their youth will be like full-grown plants.
Our daughters will be like corner pillars carved to decorate a palace.
13 Our storehouses will be filled with produce of every kind.
Our flocks will increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our countryside.
14 Our oxen will pull heavy loads.
There will be no breaking through our walls,
no exile into captivity,
no cry of distress in our city squares.
15 How blessed are the people for whom this is so.
How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
Who Is This?
The Friends and Other Bystanders
6 Who is this woman coming up from the wilderness
like columns of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and with incense,
made from all the fragrant powders of the merchant?
7 Look! It’s Solomon’s own carriage.[a]
Sixty warriors surround it,
the most heroic of Israel,
8 all of them wearing a sword,
all trained for battle,
each man with his sword at his side,
ready for the terrors of the night.
9 This palanquin[b] King Solomon made for himself
out of wood from Lebanon.
10 Its posts he made of silver.
Its base he made of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple.
Its interior was inlaid with love[c]
by the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Come out, you daughters of Zion,
and look at King Solomon wearing the crown,
the crown with which his mother crowned him
on the day of his wedding,
on the day his heart rejoiced.
A Good Servant of Christ Jesus
6 If you point out these things to the brothers,[a] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good doctrine, which you have followed faithfully. 7 Pay no attention to worldly and absurd myths, but train yourself for godliness. 8 For bodily training is beneficial to an extent, but godliness is beneficial in all things, because it holds promise both for life now and for the life to come. 9 This saying is trustworthy and worthy of all acceptance. 10 Indeed, it is for this reason that we work hard and are insulted:[b] because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 Insist on these things and continue teaching them. 12 Let no one look down on your youth. Instead, be an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the reading[c] of Scripture, to encouraging, and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy when the elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things. Constantly be involved in them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to the doctrine. Persevere in them, because by doing this you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.