Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
20 (A)I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have (B)anointed him,
21 so that my (C)hand shall be established with him;
my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him;
(D)the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will (E)crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
24 My (F)faithfulness and my (G)steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his (H)horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand on (I)the sea
and his right hand on (J)the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my (K)Father,
my God, and (L)the Rock of my salvation.’
27 And I will make him the (M)firstborn,
(N)the highest of the kings of the earth.
28 My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my (O)covenant will stand firm[a] for him.
29 I will establish his (P)offspring forever
and his (Q)throne as (R)the days of the heavens.
30 (S)If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,[b]
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with (T)the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
or be false to my faithfulness.
34 I will not violate my (U)covenant
or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 Once for all I have sworn (V)by my holiness;
I will not (W)lie to David.
36 His (X)offspring shall endure forever,
(Y)his (Z)throne as long as (AA)the sun before me.
37 Like (AB)the moon it shall be established forever,
(AC)a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah
15 Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the (A)Valley of Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold, and the (B)garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17 And David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 18 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord 19 and said, “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
The Preeminence of Christ
15 (A)He is the image of (B)the invisible God, (C)the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[a] him all things were created, (D)in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether (E)thrones or (F)dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created (G)through him and for him. 17 And (H)he is before all things, and in him all things (I)hold together. 18 And (J)he is the head of the body, the church. He is (K)the beginning, (L)the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For (M)in him all the (N)fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and (O)through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, (P)making peace (Q)by the blood of his cross.
21 (R)And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, (S)doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled (T)in his body of flesh by his death, (U)in order to present you holy and blameless and (V)above reproach before him, 23 (W)if indeed you continue in the faith, (X)stable and steadfast, not shifting from (Y)the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed (Z)in all creation[b] under heaven, (AA)and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.