Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 34
Blessed Is the Person Who Takes Refuge in God
Heading
By David. When he pretended to be insane in the presence of Abimelek, who drove him away, and David left.[a]
David’s Thanks for Deliverance
1 I will bless the Lord at all times.
His praise will always be in my mouth.
2 In the Lord my soul will boast.
The humble will hear and rejoice.
An Invitation to Join David in Praise
3 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
The Story of David’s Deliverance
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me.
From all my terrors he delivered me.
5 His people look to him and are radiant,
and their faces will never blush.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard.
From all his distress the Lord saved him.
7 The Angel of the Lord[b] camps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
The Application of This Truth to All Believers
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is everyone who takes refuge in him.
19 Many are the troubles of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.
20 He watches over all his bones;
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked.
Those who hate the righteous will be found guilty.
22 The Lord redeems the soul[a] of his servants.
Anyone who takes refuge in him will not be found guilty.
Heading
1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah.
The Problem
In the month of Kislev of the twentieth year, I was in Susa, the citadel.[a] 2 Hanani, one of my brothers,[b] came to me with men from Judah. I asked them about the remnant of the Jews, who had survived the captivity and had escaped from it, and about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “The survivors from the captivity who are there in the province are in great misery and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned.”
4 When I heard about these things, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of Heaven.[c] 5 I said:
Please, Lord, the God of Heaven, the great and awe-inspiring God, who preserves the covenant and faithfulness for those who love him and keep his commands: 6 Let your ear be attentive and your eyes be open as you hear the prayer of your servant today, which I am now praying before you day and night, concerning the Israelites, who are your servants. I am also confessing the sins of the people of Israel that we committed against you. I and my father’s house have also sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you, and we have not kept the commands, nor the statutes, nor the ordinances that you commanded Moses your servant.
8 Please remember the command you gave to Moses your servant when you said, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples. 9 But when you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, even if you have been scattered to the end of heaven, from there I will gather them, and I will bring them to the place where I have chosen to make my name dwell.”[d] 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed with your great power and your mighty hand.
11 Please, my Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayers of your servants who are delighted to revere your name. Make your servant successful today, and give him mercy in this man’s presence.
I was cupbearer[e] to the king.
11 So if everything could have been brought to its goal through the Levitical priesthood (for the people received the law on the basis of that priesthood), what further need was there for another priest to arise who was like Melchizedek, yet not said to be like Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, by necessity a change in the law also happens. 13 Yet these things are said about the one who belonged to another tribe, from which no one had served at the altar. 14 It is certainly clear that our Lord is descended from Judah. Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe.
15 And this becomes even clearer if another priest arises like Melchizedek, 16 who became a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement about physical descent, but on the basis of the power of an endless[a] life. 17 For it has been testified in Scripture about him:
You are a priest forever, like Melchizedek.[b]
18 To be sure, the former requirement is annulled, because it was weak and useless— 19 for the law did not bring anything to its goal—but now a better hope is introduced, by which we approach God.
20 And something like this did not happen without an oath. Indeed, others who became priests did so without an oath, 21 but this one became a priest with an oath, through the one who said to him:
The Lord has sworn an oath
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever.”[c]
22 In this way, Jesus has become the guarantor[d] of a better covenant.[e]
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.