Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God Implored to Rescue His People from Their Calamities.

For the choir director; set to ^[a]El Shoshannim; ^[b]Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.

David Plans to Build a Temple

7 ^(A)Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, ² that the king said to ^(B)Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in ^(C)a house of cedar, but the ark of God ^(D)dwells within tent curtains.” ³ Nathan said to the king, “^(E)Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But in the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^(F)Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? ⁶ For ^(G)I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about ^(H)in a tent, even in a ^[a]tabernacle. ^7 (I)Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, ^(J)which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

God’s Covenant with David

⁸ “Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “^(K)I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, ^(L)to be ruler over My people Israel. ^9 (M)I have been with you wherever you have gone and ^(N)have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and ^(O)will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, ^(P)nor will the ^[b]wicked afflict them any more as formerly, ¹¹ even ^(Q)from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and ^(R)I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that ^(S)the Lord will make a house for you. ^12 (T)When your days are complete and you ^(U)lie down with your fathers, ^(V)I will raise up your ^[c]descendant after you, who will come forth from ^[d]you, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (W)He shall build a house for My name, and ^(X)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (Y)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; ^(Z)when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, ¹⁵ but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, ^(AA)as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ^16 (AB)Your house and your kingdom shall endure before ^[e]Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

²³ But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, ^(A)being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore the Law has become our ^(B)tutor to lead us to Christ, so that ^(C)we may be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a ^[a](D)tutor. ²⁶ For you are all ^(E)sons of God through faith in ^(F)Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For all of you who were ^(G)baptized into Christ have ^(H)clothed yourselves with Christ. ^28 (I)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is ^[b]neither male nor female; for ^(J)you are all one in ^(K)Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if ^(L)you ^[c]belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s ^[d]descendants, heirs according to ^(M)promise.