Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 21
The King’s Victory
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 Lord, the king finds joy in Your strength.
How greatly he rejoices in Your victory!(A)
2 You have given him his heart’s desire(B)
and have not denied the request of his lips.(C)
3 For You meet him with rich blessings;
You place a crown of pure gold on his head.(D)
4 He asked You for life, and You gave it to him—
length of days forever and ever.(E)
5 His glory is great through Your victory;
You confer majesty and splendor on him.(F)
6 You give him blessings forever;(G)
You cheer him with joy in Your presence.(H)
7 For the king relies on the Lord;
through the faithful love of the Most High
he is not shaken.(I)
8 Your hand will capture all your enemies;
your right hand will seize those who hate you.(J)
9 You will make them burn
like a fiery furnace when you appear;
the Lord will engulf them in His wrath,
and fire will devour them.(K)
10 You will wipe their descendants from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.(L)
11 Though they intend to harm[a] you
and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.(M)
12 Instead, you will put them to flight
when you aim your bow[b] at their faces.(N)
13 Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
we will sing and praise Your might.(O)
David, King of Israel
5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron(A) and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.[a](B) 2 Even while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led us out to battle and brought us back.(C) The Lord also said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over Israel.’”
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. King David made a covenant with them(D) at Hebron in the Lord’s presence, and they anointed David king over Israel.
4 David was 30 years old when he began his reign;(E) he reigned 40 years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years over all Israel and Judah.
6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites(F) who inhabited the land. The Jebusites had said to David: “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you”; thinking, “David can’t get in here.”
7 Yet David did capture the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.(G) 8 He said that day, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must go through the water shaft to reach the lame and the blind who are despised by David.”[b] For this reason it is said, “The blind and the lame will never enter the house.”[c]
9 David took up residence in the stronghold, which he named the city of David. He built it up all the way around from the supporting terraces inward. 10 David became more and more powerful,(H) and the Lord God of Hosts was with him.(I)
Paul’s Sufferings for Christ
16 I repeat: No one should consider me a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, so I too may boast a little. 17 What I say in this matter[a] of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but foolishly. 18 Since many boast in an unspiritual way,[b] I will also boast. 19 For you, being so wise, gladly put up with fools!(A) 20 In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours(B) you, if someone captures you, if someone dominates you, or if someone hits(C) you in the face. 21 I say this to our shame: We have been weak.
But in whatever anyone dares to boast—I am talking foolishly—I also dare:
22 Are they Hebrews?(D) So am I.
Are they Israelites? So am I.
Are they the seed of Abraham?(E) So am I.
23 Are they servants of Christ?
I’m talking like a madman—I’m a better one:
with far more labors,
many more imprisonments,
far worse beatings, near death[c] many times.
24 Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews.(F)
25 Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans.(G)
Once I was stoned by my enemies.[d](H)
Three times I was shipwrecked.(I)
I have spent a night and a day
in the open sea.
26 On frequent journeys, I faced
dangers from rivers,
dangers from robbers,(J)
dangers from my own people,(K)
dangers from the Gentiles,
dangers in the city,
dangers in the open country,
dangers on the sea,
and dangers among false brothers;
27 labor and hardship,
many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst,
often without food, cold, and lacking clothing.(L)
28 Not to mention[e] other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble,(M) and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses. 31 The God and Father(N) of the Lord Jesus, who is praised forever, knows I am not lying. 32 In Damascus,(O) the governor under King Aretas[f] guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me, 33 so I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.(P)
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