Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Reign of the Righteous King.
A Psalm of Solomon.
72 Give the king (A)Your judgments, O God,
And (B)Your righteousness to the king’s son.
2 [a]May [b]he (C)judge Your people with righteousness
And [c](D)Your afflicted with justice.
3 [d]Let the mountains bring [e](E)peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.
4 [f]May he (F)vindicate the [g]afflicted of the people,
Save the children of the needy
And crush the oppressor.
5 [h]Let them fear You (G)while the sun endures,
And [i]as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 [j]May he come down (H)like rain upon the mown grass,
Like (I)showers that water the earth.
7 In his days [k]may the (J)righteous flourish,
And (K)abundance of peace till the moon is no more.
8 May he also rule (L)from sea to sea
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 [l]Let (M)the nomads of the desert (N)bow before him,
And his enemies (O)lick the dust.
10 [m]Let the kings of (P)Tarshish and of the [n](Q)islands bring presents;
The kings of (R)Sheba and (S)Seba (T)offer [o]gifts.
11 [p]And let all (U)kings bow down before him,
All (V)nations serve him.
12 For he will (W)deliver the needy when he cries for help,
The [q]afflicted also, and him who has no helper.
13 He will have (X)compassion on the poor and needy,
And the [r]lives of the needy he will save.
14 He will [s](Y)rescue their [t]life from oppression and violence,
And their blood will be (Z)precious in his sight;
15 So may he live, and may the (AA)gold of Sheba be given to him;
And let [u]them pray for him continually;
Let [v]them bless him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains;
Its fruit will wave like the cedars of (AB)Lebanon;
And may those from the city flourish like (AC)vegetation of the earth.
17 May his (AD)name endure forever;
May his name [w]increase [x](AE)as long as the sun shines;
And let men (AF)bless themselves by him;
(AG)Let all nations call him blessed.
18 (AH)Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who alone (AI)works wonders.
19 And blessed be His (AJ)glorious name forever;
And may the whole (AK)earth be filled with His glory.
(AL)Amen, and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
God’s Charge to Joshua
1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ [a]servant, saying, 2 “Moses (A)My servant is dead; now therefore arise, (B)cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 (C)Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 (D)From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 (E)No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; (F)I will not fail you or forsake you. 6 (G)Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous; [b](H)be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may [c]have success wherever you go. 8 (I)This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may [d]be careful to do according to all that is written in it; (J)for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will [e]have success. 9 Have I not commanded you? (K)Be strong and courageous! (L)Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of (A)Gideon, (B)Barak, (C)Samson, (D)Jephthah, of (E)David and (F)Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith (G)conquered kingdoms, (H)performed acts of righteousness, (I)obtained promises, (J)shut the mouths of lions, 34 (K)quenched the power of fire, (L)escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, (M)became mighty in war, (N)put foreign armies to flight. 35 (O)Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their [a]release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others [b]experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also (P)chains and imprisonment. 37 They were (Q)stoned, they were (R)sawn in two, [c]they were tempted, they were (S)put to death with the sword; they went about (T)in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, (U)ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), (V)wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes [d]in the ground.
39 And all these, having [e](W)gained approval through their faith, (X)did not receive [f]what was promised, 40 because God had [g]provided (Y)something better for us, so that (Z)apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Jesus, the Example
12 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also (AA)lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us (AB)run with (AC)endurance the race that is set before us, 2 [h]fixing our eyes on Jesus, the [i](AD)author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him (AE)endured the cross, (AF)despising the shame, and has (AG)sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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