Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 84
Longing for God’s House
For the choir director: on the Gittith.(A) A psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 How lovely is Your dwelling place,
Lord of Hosts.(B)
2 I long and yearn
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh cry out for[a] the living God.(C)
3 Even a sparrow finds a home,
and a swallow, a nest for herself
where she places her young—
near Your altars, Lord of Hosts,
my King and my God.(D)
4 How happy are those who reside in Your house,
who praise You continually.(E)
5 Happy are the people whose strength is in You,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.(F)
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,[b]
they make it a source of springwater;
even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.[c](G)
7 They go from strength to strength;
each appears before God in Zion.(H)
8 Lord God of Hosts, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Jacob.(I)
9 Consider our shield,[d] God;(J)
look on the face of Your anointed one.(K)
10 Better a day in Your courts
than a thousand anywhere else.
I would rather be at the door of the house of my God
than to live in the tents of wicked people.(L)
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield.(M)
The Lord gives grace and glory;
He does not withhold the good
from those who live with integrity.(N)
12 Happy is the person who trusts in You,
Lord of Hosts!(O)
Solomon’s Provisions
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea;(A) they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. 21 [a]Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt.(B) They offered tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.(C)
22 Solomon’s provisions for one day were 150 bushels[b] of fine flour and 300 bushels[c] of meal, 23 10 fattened oxen, 20 range oxen, and 100 sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and pen-fed poultry,[d](D) 24 for he had dominion over everything west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza and over all the kings west of the Euphrates. He had peace on all his surrounding borders. 25 Throughout Solomon’s reign, Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beer-sheba,(E) each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.(F) 26 Solomon had 40,000[e] stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.(G) 27 Each of those deputies for a month in turn provided food for King Solomon and for everyone who came to King Solomon’s table. They neglected nothing. 28 Each man brought the barley and the straw for the chariot teams and the other horses(H) to the required place according to his assignment.[f]
The Day of the Lord
5 About the times and the seasons:(A) Brothers, you do not need anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord(B) will come just like a thief(C) in the night. 3 When they say, “Peace and security,” then sudden destruction(D) comes on them, like labor pains come on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in the dark, for this day to overtake you like a thief.(E) 5 For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness.(F) 6 So then, we must not sleep, like the rest, but we must stay awake and be serious. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, we must be serious(G) and put the armor(H) of faith and love on our chests, and put on a helmet(I) of the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord(J) Jesus Christ,(K) 10 who died for us,(L) so that whether we are awake or asleep,(M) we will live together with Him.(N) 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
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