Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, (A)You have searched me and known me.
2 (B)You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You (C)understand my thought afar off.
3 (D)You [a]comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, (E)You know it altogether.
5 You have [b]hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 (F)Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You [a]covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for [b]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 (A)My [c]frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 (B)How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance
14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For (A)You are my praise.
15 Indeed they say to me,
(B)“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 As for me, (C)I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You,
Nor have I desired the woeful day;
You know what came out of my lips;
It was right there before You.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
(D)You are my hope in the day of doom.
18 (E)Let them be ashamed who persecute me,
But (F)do not let me be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed,
But do not let me be dismayed.
Bring on them the day of doom,
And (G)destroy[a] them with double destruction!
Hallow the Sabbath Day
19 Thus the Lord said to me: “Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, (H)‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 21 Thus says the Lord: (I)“Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I (J)commanded your fathers. 23 (K)But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but [b]made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction.
24 “And it shall be, (L)if you heed Me carefully,” says the Lord, “to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the (M)Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, 25 (N)then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever. 26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from (O)the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from (P)the [c]lowland, from the mountains and from (Q)the [d]South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing (R)sacrifices of praise to the house of the Lord.
27 “But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then (S)I will kindle a fire in its gates, (T)and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be (U)quenched.” ’ ”
Christ Brings Division(A)
34 (B)“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to (C)‘set[a] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and (D)‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 (E)He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 (F)And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 (G)He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
A Cup of Cold Water(H)
40 (I)“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 (J)He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 (K)And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.