Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 69
A Plea for Rescue
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”[a] Davidic.
1 Save me, God,
for the water has risen to my neck.(A)
2 I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no footing;
I have come into deep waters,
and a flood sweeps over me.(B)
3 I am weary from my crying;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.(C)
4 Those who hate me without cause
are more numerous than the hairs of my head;
my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,
are powerful.(D)
Though I did not steal, I must repay.(E)
5 God, You know my foolishness,
and my guilty acts are not hidden from You.(F)
30 I will praise God’s name with song
and exalt Him with thanksgiving.(A)
31 That will please Yahweh more than an ox,
more than a bull with horns and hooves.(B)
32 The humble will see it and rejoice.
You who seek God, take heart!(C)
33 For the Lord listens to the needy
and does not despise
His own who are prisoners.(D)
The Anointing Oil
22 The Lord spoke to Moses: 23 “Take for yourself the finest spices:(A) 12½ pounds[a] of liquid myrrh, half as much (6¼ pounds[b]) of fragrant cinnamon, 6¼ pounds[c] of fragrant cane, 24 12½ pounds[d] of cassia (by the sanctuary shekel), and one gallon[e] of olive oil.(B) 25 Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a scented blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be holy anointing oil.(C)
26 “With it you are to anoint(D) the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, 27 the table with all its utensils, the lampstand with its utensils, the altar of incense, 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. 29 Consecrate them and they will be especially holy. Whatever touches them will be consecrated. 30 Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate(E) them to serve Me as priests.
31 “Tell the Israelites: This will be My holy anointing oil throughout your generations. 32 It must not be used for ordinary anointing on a person’s body, and you must not make anything like it using its formula. It is holy, and it must be holy to you. 33 Anyone who blends something like it or puts some of it on an unauthorized person must be cut off(F) from his people.”
The Sacred Incense
34 The Lord said to Moses: “Take fragrant spices: stacte, onycha, and galbanum; the spices and pure frankincense are to be in equal measures. 35 Prepare expertly blended incense from these; it is to be seasoned with salt, pure and holy. 36 Grind some of it into a fine powder and put some in front of the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It must be especially holy(G) to you. 37 As for the incense you are making, you must not make any for yourselves using its formula. It is to be regarded by you as sacred to the Lord. 38 Anyone who makes something like it to smell its fragrance must be cut off from his people.”
2 When they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even quieter.(A) 3 He(B) continued, “I am a Jewish man, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city[a] at the feet of Gamaliel(C) and educated according to the strict view of our patriarchal law. Being zealous for God, just as all of you are today,(D) 4 I persecuted this Way(E) to the death, binding and putting both men and women in jail,(F) 5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to bring those who were prisoners there to be punished in Jerusalem.(G)
Paul’s Testimony
6 “As(H) I was traveling and near Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
8 “I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’
“He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the One you are persecuting!’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light,[b] but they did not hear the voice of the One who was speaking to me.(I)
10 “Then I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’
“And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that is assigned for you to do.’
11 “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.(J) 12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good reputation with all the Jews residing there,(K) 13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed(L) you to know His will, to see(M) the Righteous One,(N) and to hear the sound of His voice.[c] 15 For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard.(O) 16 And now, why delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins(P) by calling on His name.’(Q)
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