Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 72
A Prayer for the King
Solomonic.(A)
1 God, give Your justice to the king
and Your righteousness to the king’s son.(B)
2 He will judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted ones with justice.(C)
3 May the mountains bring prosperity[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(D)
4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(E)
5 May he continue[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(F)
6 May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(G)
7 May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and prosperity[d] abound
until the moon is no more.(H)
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(I)
9 May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(J)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(K)
11 Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him.(L)
12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(M)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(N)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[e] precious[f] in his sight.(O)
15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(P)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(Q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(R)
Encouragement of Joshua
1 After the death of Moses(A) the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua[a] son of Nun,(B) who had served Moses: 2 “Moses My servant is dead.(C) Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan(D) to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads,(E) just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon(F) to the great Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites(G)—and west to the Mediterranean Sea.[b](H) 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live.(I) I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.(J)
6 “Be strong and courageous,(K) for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.(L) 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you.(M) Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth;(N) you are to recite[c] it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.(O) 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?(P) Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,(A) David, Samuel, and the prophets,(B) 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms,(C) administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,(D) 34 quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.(E) 35 Women received their dead—they were raised to life again. Some men were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection, 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment.(F) 37 They were stoned,[a](G) they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins,(H) destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.(I)
The Call to Endurance
12 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses(J) surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance(K) the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus,[b] the source and perfecter[c] of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him[d] endured a cross and despised the shame(L) and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.
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