Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹² ¶ Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion.

¹³ For he has strengthened the bars of thy gates; he has blessed thy sons within thee.

¹⁴ He who makes peace to be thy borders shall fill thee with the finest of the wheat.

¹⁵ He sends forth his word upon earth; his word runs very swiftly.

¹⁶ He who gives snow like wool scatters the hoarfrost like ashes.

¹⁷ He casts forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold?

¹⁸ He shall send forth his word and melt them; his wind shall blow, and the waters shall flow.

¹⁹ He declares his words unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel.

²⁰ He has not dealt so with the other nations, which have not known his judgments. Halelu-JAH.

28 ¶ And David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the princes of the companies that ministered to the king by course, and the princes over the thousands, and princes over the hundreds, with the princes over all the substance and possession of the king, and his sons, with the officers, and with the mighty men, and with all the valiant men, unto Jerusalem.

² Then David, the king, stood up upon his feet and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and for the footstool of our God and had made ready for the building.

³ But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build a house for my name because thou hast been a man of war and hast shed blood.

⁴ However, the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever, for he has chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel;

⁵ and of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon, my son, to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

⁶ And he said unto me, Solomon, thy son, he shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

⁷ Moreover, I will establish his kingdom for ever if he is constant to do my commandments and my judgments as at this day.

⁸ Now, therefore, in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God, that ye may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance for your sons after you for ever.

⁹ And thou, Solomon, my son, know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing soul, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

¹⁰ Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen thee to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.

¹⁰ According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds upon it. But let each one see how the building is built.

¹¹ ¶ For no one can lay another foundation than that laid, which is Jesus the Christ.

¹² Now if anyone builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble,

¹³ the work of each one shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire; the work of each one, whatever sort it is, the fire shall put it to test.

¹⁴ If the work of anyone abides which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

¹⁵ If anyone’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.

¹⁶ ¶ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

¹⁷ If anyone defiles the temple of God, God shall destroy that one; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.