Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 I will sing (A)a new song to you, O God;
upon (B)a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 who gives victory to kings,
who (C)rescues David his servant from the cruel sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me
from the hand (D)of foreigners,
whose mouths speak (E)lies
and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 May our sons in their youth
be like (F)plants full grown,
our daughters like (G)corner pillars
cut for the structure of a palace;
13 (H)may our granaries be full,
(I)providing all kinds of produce;
may our sheep bring forth thousands
and ten thousands in our fields;
14 may our cattle be heavy with young,
suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;[a]
may there be no (J)cry of distress in our streets!
15 (K)Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
(L)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Solomon Arrives for the Wedding
6 (A)What is that coming up from the wilderness
like (B)columns of smoke,
perfumed with (C)myrrh and frankincense,
with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
7 Behold, it is the litter[a] of Solomon!
Around it are (D)sixty (E)mighty men,
some of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all of them wearing swords
and expert in war,
each with his (F)sword at his thigh,
against (G)terror by night.
9 King Solomon made himself a carriage[b]
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its back of gold, its seat of purple;
its interior was inlaid with love
by (H)the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go out, O (I)daughters of Zion,
and look upon King Solomon,
with the crown with which his mother crowned him
on (J)the day of his wedding,
on the day of the gladness of his heart.
A Good Servant of Christ Jesus
6 (A)If you put these things before the brothers,[a] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have (B)followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, (C)silly myths. Rather (D)train yourself for godliness; 8 for while (E)bodily training is of some value, godliness (F)is of value in every way, as (G)it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 The saying is (H)trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive,[b] because we have our hope set on the living God, (I)who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach (J)these things. 12 (K)Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers (L)an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 (M)Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you (N)by prophecy when the council of elders (O)laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,[c] so that (P)all may see your progress. 16 (Q)Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save (R)both yourself and (S)your hearers.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.