Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Solomonic
A Prayer for the King
72 God, endow the king with ability to render[a] your justice,
and the king’s son to render your right decisions.
2 May he rule your people with right decisions
and your oppressed ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people
and the hills bring righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted of the people
and deliver the children of the poor,
but crush the oppressor.
5 May they fear you as long as the sun and moon shine[b]—
from generation to generation.
6 May he be like the rain that descends on mown grass,
like showers sprinkling on the ground.
7 The righteous will flourish at the proper time
and peace will prevail until the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River[c] to the ends of the earth.
9 May the nomads bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring gifts,
and may the kings of Sheba and Seba offer tribute.
11 May all kings bow down to him,
and all nations serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy when they cry out for help,
and the poor when there is no deliverer.
13 He will have compassion on the poor and the needy,
and he will save the lives of the needy.
14 He will redeem them[d] from oppression and violence,
since their lives are[e] precious in his sight.
Prayer for the King
15 May he live long and be given gold from Sheba,
and may prayer be offered for him continuously,
and may he be blessed every day.
16 May grain be abundant in the land
all the way[f] to the mountain tops;
may its fruits flourish
like the forests of Lebanon,
and may the cities sprout
like the grass of the earth.
Praising the God of Israel
17 May his fame[g] be eternal—
as long as the sun—
may his name endure,
and may they be blessed through him,
and may all nations call him blessed.
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does awesome deeds.
19 And blessed be his glorious name forever,
and may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!
20 This ends the prayers of Jesse’s son David.
Job’s Prosperity Returns
10 The Lord restored Job’s prosperity after he prayed for his friends. The Lord doubled everything that Job had once possessed. 11 Then all his brothers and sisters and all those who knew him before arrived. They ate food with him in his house, mourned for him, and consoled him for all the trouble that the Lord had brought and placed on him. Some[a] gave him gold bullion[b] and some brought[c] gold earrings.
12 The Lord blessed Job during the latter part of his life[d] more than the former, since he owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen[e] and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first daughter Jemima,[f] the second Keziah,[g] and the name of the third was Keren-happuch.[h] 15 No one could find more beautiful women in the whole land than Job’s daughters. Their father gave them their inheritance along with their brothers. 16 Job lived 140 years after this, and saw his children and grandchildren to the fourth generation. 17 Then Job died at an old age, having lived a full life.[i]
A Light under a Bowl(A)
16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in will see the light. 17 There is nothing hidden that won’t be revealed, and there is nothing secret that won’t become known and come to light. 18 So pay attention to how you listen, because to the one who has something, more will be given. However, from the one who doesn’t have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
The True Family of Jesus(B)
19 His mother and his brothers came to him, but they couldn’t get near him because of the crowd. 20 Jesus[a] was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”
21 But he answered those people,[b] “My mother and my brothers are those who hear a message from God and heed it.”
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