Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 I will (A)sing a new song to You, O God;
On a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 The One who gives [a]salvation to kings,
(B)Who delivers David His servant
From the deadly sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks lying words,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—
12 That our sons may be (C)as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as [b]pillars,
Sculptured in palace style;
13 That our barns may be full,
Supplying all kinds of produce;
That our sheep may bring forth thousands
And ten thousands in our fields;
14 That our oxen may be well laden;
That there be no [c]breaking in or going out;
That there be no outcry in our streets.
15 (D)Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
The Coming of Solomon
The Shulamite
6 (A)Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?
7 Behold, it is Solomon’s couch,
With sixty valiant men around it,
Of the valiant of Israel.
8 They all hold swords,
Being expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh
Because of fear in the night.
9 Of the wood of Lebanon
Solomon the King
Made himself a [a]palanquin:
10 He made its pillars of silver,
Its support of gold,
Its seat of purple,
Its interior paved with love
By the daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go forth, O daughters of Zion,
And see King Solomon with the crown
With which his mother crowned him
On the day of his wedding,
The day of the gladness of his heart.
A Good Servant of Jesus Christ
6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, (A)nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But (B)reject profane and old wives’ fables, and (C)exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For (D)bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, (E)having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end [a]we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, (F)who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach.
Take Heed to Your Ministry
12 Let no one [b]despise your youth, but be an (G)example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, [c]in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to [d]doctrine. 14 (H)Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy (I)with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.