Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 21[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
21 O Lord, the king rejoices in the strength you give;[b]
he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide.[c]
2 You grant[d] him his heart’s desire;
you do not refuse his request.[e] (Selah)
3 For you bring him[f] rich[g] blessings;[h]
you place a golden crown on his head.
4 He asked you to sustain his life,[i]
and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty.[j]
5 Your deliverance brings him great honor;[k]
you give him majestic splendor.[l]
6 For you grant him lasting blessings;
you give him great joy by allowing him into your presence.[m]
7 For the king trusts[n] in the Lord,
and because of the Most High’s[o] faithfulness he is not shaken.[p]
8 You[q] prevail over[r] all your enemies;
your power is too great for those who hate you.[s]
9 You burn them up like a fiery furnace[t] when you appear.[u]
The Lord angrily devours them;[v]
the fire consumes them.
10 You destroy their offspring[w] from the earth,
their descendants[x] from among the human race.[y]
11 Yes,[z] they intend to do you harm;[aa]
they dream up a scheme,[ab] but they do not succeed.[ac]
12 For you make them retreat[ad]
when you aim your arrows at them.[ae]
13 Rise up, O Lord, in strength![af]
We will sing and praise[ag] your power.
David Is Anointed King Over Israel
5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron saying, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood![a] 2 In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the real leader in Israel.[b] The Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over Israel.’”
3 When all the leaders[c] of Israel came to the king at Hebron, King David made an agreement with them[d] in Hebron before the Lord. They designated[e] David as king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he reigned for forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
David Occupies Jerusalem
6 Then the king and his men advanced to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who lived in the land. The Jebusites[f] said to David, “You cannot invade this place! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back, saying, ‘David cannot invade this place!’”
7 But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David). 8 David said on that day, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must approach the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ who are David’s enemies[g] by going through the water tunnel.”[h] For this reason it is said, “The blind and the lame cannot enter the palace.”[i]
9 So David lived in the fortress and called it the City of David. David built all around it, from the terrace inwards. 10 David’s power grew steadily, for the Lord God[j] of Heaven’s Armies[k] was with him.[l]
Paul’s Sufferings for Christ
16 I say again, let no one think that I am a fool.[a] But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence[b] I do not say the way the Lord would.[c] Instead it is, as it were, foolishness. 18 Since many[d] are boasting according to human standards,[e] I too will boast. 19 For since you are so wise, you put up with[f] fools gladly. 20 For you put up with[g] it if someone makes slaves of you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone behaves arrogantly[h] toward you, if someone strikes you in the face. 21 (To my disgrace[i] I must say that we were too weak for that!)[j] But whatever anyone else dares to boast about[k] (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing.[l] 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking like I am out of my mind!) I am even more so: with much greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with more severe beatings, facing death many times. 24 Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one.[m] 25 Three times I was beaten with a rod.[n] Once I received a stoning.[o] Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea. 26 I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers,[p] in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness,[q] in dangers at sea, in dangers from false brothers, 27 in hard work and toil,[r] through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing.[s] 28 Apart from other things,[t] there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern[u] for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin,[v] and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If I must boast,[w] I will boast about the things that show my weakness.[x] 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying. 32 In Damascus, the governor[y] under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus[z] in order to arrest[aa] me, 33 but I was let down in a rope-basket[ab] through a window in the city wall, and escaped his hands.
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