Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

²⁰ I have found David, Your servant. I have poured My holy oil upon him. ²¹ My hand will stay with him. And My arm will give him strength. ²² Those who hate him will not fool him. No sinful man will bring trouble to him. ²³ But he will see Me crush those who fight against him. I will kill those who hate him. ²⁴ I will be faithful and My loving-kindness will be with him. And in My name he will become great. ²⁵ I will set his hand on the sea also, and his right hand on the rivers. ²⁶ He will cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the rock that saves me.’ ²⁷ I will make him My first-born also, the highest of the kings of the earth. ²⁸ I will keep My loving-kindness for him forever. And My agreement with him will be made strong. ²⁹ I will make his seed last forever. And his throne will last as long as heaven.

³⁰ “If his sons leave My Law and do not do what I say, ³¹ and if they break My Laws and do not obey My Word, ³² then I will punish their sin with the stick, and their wrong-doing with the whip. ³³ But I will not take my loving-kindness from him. I will always be faithful to him. ³⁴ I will not break My agreement, or change what was spoken by My lips. ³⁵ Once I have promised by My holy name, I will not lie to David. ³⁶ His seed will last forever. And his throne will last before Me like the sun. ³⁷ It will last forever like the moon, which may always be seen in the sky.”

David in Jerusalem

14 Now King Hiram of Tyre sent men with cedar trees to David. With them came men who worked with stone and wood. They came to build a house for him. ² David understood that the Lord had made him to be king of Israel. He knew that his nation was very honored because of God’s people Israel.

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, his spirit was troubled as he saw the whole city worshiping false gods. ¹⁷ He talked to the Jews and other people who were worshiping in the Jewish place of worship. Every day he talked with people who gathered in the center of town.

¹⁸ Some men from two different groups were arguing with Paul. The one group thought that men might as well get all the fun out of life that they can. The other group thought that wisdom alone makes men happy. Some of them said, “This man has lots of little things to talk about. They are not important. What is he trying to say?” Others said, “He preaches about strange gods.” It was because he preached of Jesus and of His being raised from the dead.

¹⁹ Then they took him to Mars’ Hill and said, “We want to hear of this new teaching of yours. ²⁰ Some of the things you are telling us are strange to our ears. We want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ The people of Athens and those visiting from far countries used all their time in talking or hearing some new thing. ²² Then Paul stood up on Mars’ Hill and said, “Men of Athens, I see how very religious you are in every way. ²³ As I was walking around and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar where you worship with the words written on it, TO THE GOD WHO IS NOT KNOWN. You are worshiping Him without knowing Him. He is the One I will tell you about.

²⁴ “The God Who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He does not live in buildings made by hands. ²⁵ No one needs to care for Him as if He needed anything. He is the One who gives life and breath and everything to everyone. ²⁶ He made from one blood all nations who live on the earth. He set the times and places where they should live.

²⁷ “They were to look for God. Then they might feel after Him and find Him because He is not far from each one of us. ²⁸ It is in Him that we live and move and keep on living. Some of your own men have written, ‘We are God’s children.’ ²⁹ If we are God’s children, we should not think of Him as being like gold or silver or stone. Such gods made of gold or silver or stone are planned by men and are made by them.

³⁰ “God did not remember these times when people did not know better. But now He tells all men everywhere to be sorry for their sins and to turn from them. ³¹ He has set a day when He will say in the right way if the people of the world are guilty. This will be done by Jesus Christ, the One He has chosen. God has proven this to all men by raising Jesus Christ from the dead.”