Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Davidic Psalm, when he fled from his son Absalom.
God Delivers His Servants
3 Lord, I have so many persecutors!
Many are rising up against me!
2 Many are saying about me,
“God will never deliver him!”
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud[a] to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep,
I wake up, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear multitudes of[b] people,
who set themselves against me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
For you strike the jaw of all my enemies,
and you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance comes from the Lord!
May your blessing be on your people.
Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication(A)
22 Then Solomon took his place in front of the Lord’s altar in the presence of the entire congregation of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven, 23 and said:
“Lord God of Israel, there is no one like you, God in heaven above or on the earth below, who watches over[a] his covenant, showing gracious love to your servants who live their lives in your presence[b] with all their hearts. 24 It is you, Lord God,[c] who have kept your promise to my father, your servant David, that you made to him. Indeed, you made a commitment[d] to my father David and then personally fulfilled[e] what you had promised today.
25 “Now therefore, Lord God of Israel, keep your promise that you made[f] to my father, your servant David, when you said, ‘You will not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel,[g] if only your descendants will watch their lives,[h] to live[i] in my presence just as you have lived[j] in my presence.’[k]
26 “Now therefore, God of Israel, may your promise that you made[l] to your servant David my father be fulfilled… 27 and yet, will God truly reside on earth? Look! Neither the sky nor the highest heaven can contain you! How much less this Temple that I have built! 28 Pay attention to the prayer of your servant and to his request, Lord my God, and listen to the cry and prayer that your servant is praying in your presence today. 29 Let your eyes always look toward this Temple night and day, toward the location where you have said ‘My name will reside there.’ Listen to the prayer that your servant prays in this direction.[m] 30 Listen to the requests from your servant and from your people Israel as they pray in this direction,[n] listen from the place where you reside in heaven, then hear and forgive.
Future Persecution and Evangelism(A)
9 “As for yourselves, be on your guard! People[a] will hand you over to local councils, and you will be beaten in their synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings in order to testify to them because of me. 10 But first, the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations.[b] 11 When they take you away and hand you over for trial, don’t worry ahead of time about what you will say. Instead, say whatever is given to you at that time, because it won’t be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated continuously by everyone on account of my name. But the person who endures to the end will be saved.”
Signs of the End(B)
14 “So when you see the destructive desecration standing where it should not be (let the reader take note),[c] then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 Anyone who’s on his housetop must not come down and go into his house to take anything out of it, 16 and the one who’s in the field must not turn back to get his coat.
17 “How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days! 18 Pray that it may not be in winter, 19 because those days will be a time of suffering,[d] a kind that has not happened from the beginning of creation—which God himself created—until now, and certainly will never happen again. 20 If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one[e] would survive. But for the sake of the elect whom he has chosen, he has shortened those days.
21 “At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look here! The Messiah!’,[f] or, ‘Look there!’ don’t believe it, 22 because false messiahs[g] and false prophets will have arisen and will produce signs and omens intending to deceive, if possible, the elect. 23 So be on your guard! I’ve told you everything beforehand.”
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