Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 11
Refuge in the Lord
For the choir director. Davidic.
1 I have taken refuge in the Lord.(A)
How can you say to me,
“Escape to the mountain like a bird
2 For look, the wicked string the bow;
they put the[b] arrow on the bowstring
to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.(C)
3 When the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”(D)
4 The Lord is in His holy temple;(E)
the Lord’s throne is in heaven.(F)
His eyes watch; He examines[c] everyone.
5 The Lord examines the righteous and the wicked.
He hates the lover of violence.(G)
6 He will rain burning coals[d] and sulfur on the wicked;
a scorching wind will be their portion.[e](H)
7 For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds.
The upright will see His face.(I)
The City of Peace
2 The vision that Isaiah(A) son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In(B) the last days(C)
the mountain of the Lord’s house(D) will be established
at the top of the mountains
and will be raised above the hills.
All nations will stream to it,(E)
3 and many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.(F)
He will teach us about His ways
so that we may walk in His paths.”
For instruction will go out of Zion
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will settle disputes among the nations
and provide arbitration for many peoples.
They will turn their swords into plows
and their spears into pruning knives.(G)
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will never again train for war.(H)
Heroes of Faith
11 Now faith is the reality[a] of what is hoped for, the proof[b] of what is not seen.(A) 2 For our ancestors won God’s approval by it.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was[c] created by God’s command,[d](B) so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.(C)
5 By faith Enoch was taken away so he did not experience death, and he was not to be found because God took him away.[e] For prior to his removal he was approved, since he had pleased God.(D) 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.
7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.(E)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.