Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 115
The Impotence of Idols and the Greatness of God
1 [a]Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness.(A)
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”(B)
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does whatever he pleases.(C)
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.(D)
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see.
6 They have ears, but they do not hear;
they have noses, but they do not smell.
7 They have hands, but they do not feel;
they have feet, but they do not walk;
they make no sound in their throats.
8 Those who make them are like them;
so are all who trust in them.(E)
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.(F)
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.(G)
12 The Lord has been mindful of us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord,
both small and great.
29 So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a continual remembrance before the Lord.(A) 30 In the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord; thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the Israelites on his heart before the Lord continually.(B)
Other Priestly Vestments
31 “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.(C) 32 It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around its edge, like the opening in a garment,[a] so that it may not be torn. 33 On its lower hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the lower hem, with bells of gold between them all around— 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate alternating all around the lower hem of the robe. 35 Aaron shall wear it when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he may not die.
36 “You shall make a rosette of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’(D) 37 You shall fasten it on the turban with a blue cord; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take on himself any guilt incurred in the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as their sacred donations; it shall always be on his forehead, in order that they may find favor before the Lord.(E)
Paul’s Prayer for the Philippians
3 I thank my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy 5 for your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.(A) 6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete[a] it until the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart,[b] for all of you are my partners in God’s grace,[c] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.(B) 8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the tender affection of Christ Jesus.(C) 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight(D) 10 to help you to determine what really matters, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest[d] of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.