Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer to Be Kept Safe

20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe. ² May He send you help from the house of God, and give you strength from Zion. ³ May He remember all your gifts of grain given on the altar in worship. And may He be pleased with your burnt gifts.

⁴ May He give you the desire of your heart, and make all your plans go well. ⁵ We will sing for joy when you win. In the name of our God we will lift up our flags. May the Lord give you all the things you ask Him for.

⁶ Now I know that the Lord saves His chosen one. He will answer him from His holy heaven, with the saving power of His right hand. ⁷ Some trust in wagons and some in horses. But we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God. ⁸ They have fallen on their knees. But we rise up and stand straight. ⁹ O Lord, save! May the King answer us when we call.

² O Lord, I have heard of what You have done, and I am filled with fear. O Lord, do again in our times the great things which You have done before. Remember to show loving-kindness, even when You are angry.

³ God comes from Teman. The Holy One comes from Mount Paran. His shining-greatness covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise. ⁴ He is as bright as the sun. He has light shining from His hand, where His power is hidden. ⁵ Disease goes before Him, and much trouble comes after Him. ⁶ He stood and looked over the earth. He looked and shook the nations. The lasting mountains were broken to pieces, and the old hills fell down. His ways last forever. ⁷ I saw the tents of Cushan in trouble. The tent curtains of the land of Midian were shaking.

⁸ Were You angry with the rivers, O Lord? Was Your anger against the rivers? Or were You angry with the sea? You rode on Your horses. You rode on Your war-wagons saving people. ⁹ You took the covering off Your bow and put the arrows to the string. You divided the earth with rivers. ¹⁰ The mountains saw You and shook. The flood of waters flowed by. The sea made its noise and its waves rose high. ¹¹ The sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the light of Your arrows, at the shining of Your spear. ¹² You walked over the earth in Your anger. In anger You crushed the nations under foot. ¹³ You went to save Your people, to save Your chosen ones. You crushed the leader of the land of the sinful and laid him open from thighs to neck. ¹⁴ With his own spear You cut through the head of his soldiers. They came like a storm to send us everywhere, finding joy as if they were destroying in secret those who had it very hard. ¹⁵ You stepped on the sea with Your horses, on the waves of many waters.

Jesus Tells of His Death the Third Time ^(A)

³¹ Then Jesus took the twelve followers to one side and said, “See! We are going up to Jerusalem. All the things the early preachers wrote about the Son of Man are going to happen. ³² He will be given over to the people who are not Jews. He will be made fun of. He will be hurt. He will be spit on. ³³ They will beat Him and kill Him. After three days He will be raised again.”

³⁴ The followers did not understand these words. The meaning of these words was hidden from them. They did not know what He said.