Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 3
Confidence in Troubled Times
A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.(A)
1 Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.(B)
2 Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.”(C)
3 But You, Lord, are a shield around me,(D)
my glory,(E) and the One who lifts up my head.(F)
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and He answers me from His holy mountain.(G)
Solomon’s Prayer
22 Then Solomon stood(A) before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire congregation of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven.(B) 23 He said:
Lord God of Israel,
there is no God like You
in heaven above or on earth below,(C)
keeping the gracious covenant
with Your servants who walk before You
with their whole heart.(D)
24 You have kept what You promised
to Your servant, my father David.
You spoke directly to him
and You fulfilled Your promise by Your power
as it is today.(E)
25 Therefore, Lord God of Israel,
keep what You promised
to Your servant, my father David:
You will never fail to have a man
to sit before Me on the throne of Israel,(F)
if only your sons guard their walk before Me
as you have walked before Me.(G)
26 Now Lord[a] God of Israel,
please confirm what You promised
to Your servant, my father David.(H)
27 But will God indeed live on earth?
Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You,
much less this temple I have built.(I)
28 Listen[b] to Your servant’s prayer and his petition,(J)
Lord my God,
so that You may hear the cry and the prayer
that Your servant prays before You today,
29 so that Your eyes may watch over this temple night and day,(K)
toward the place where You said:
My name will be there,(L)
and so that You may hear the prayer
that Your servant prays toward this place.
30 Hear the petition of Your servant(M)
and Your people Israel,
which they pray toward this place.(N)
May You hear in Your dwelling place in heaven.
May You hear and forgive.
Persecutions Predicted
9 “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to sanhedrins,[a](A) and you will be flogged(B) in the synagogues.(C) You will stand before governors and kings(D) because of Me,(E) as a witness(F) to them.(G) 10 And the good news[b](H) must first be proclaimed to all nations. 11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say. On the contrary, whatever is given to you in that hour—say it. For it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Then brother will betray(I) brother to death,(J) and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and put them to death. 13 And you will be hated by everyone because of My name.(K) But the one who endures to the end will be delivered.[c](L)
The Great Tribulation
14 “When you see the abomination that causes desolation(M)[d] standing where it should not” (let the reader understand[e]), “then those in Judea(N) must flee to the mountains! 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house.(O) 16 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes.(P) 17 Woe(Q) to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 18 Pray(R) it[f] won’t happen in winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation,(S) the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning(T) of the world,[g](U) which God created, until now and never will be again! 20 Unless the Lord(V) limited those days,(W) no one would survive.[h] But He limited those days because of the elect,(X) whom He chose.(Y)
21 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!(Z) Look—there!’ do not believe it! 22 For false messiahs[i] and false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wonders(AA) to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.
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