Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
20 (A)I have found My servant David;
With My holy oil I have anointed him,
21 (B)With whom My hand shall be established;
Also My arm shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not [a]outwit him,
Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
23 I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him.
24 “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,
And in My name his horn shall be exalted.
25 Also I will (C)set his hand over the sea,
And his right hand over the rivers.
26 He shall cry to Me, ‘You are (D)my Father,
My God, and (E)the rock of my salvation.’
27 Also I will make him (F)My firstborn,
(G)The highest of the kings of the earth.
28 (H)My mercy I will keep for him forever,
And My covenant shall stand firm with him.
29 His seed also I will make to endure forever,
(I)And his throne (J)as the days of heaven.
30 “If(K) his sons (L)forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31 If they [b]break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.
33 (M)Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not [c]utterly take from him,
Nor [d]allow My faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant I will not break,
Nor (N)alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
35 Once I have sworn (O)by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
36 (P)His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne (Q)as the sun before Me;
37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
15 Now three of the thirty chief men (A)went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped (B)in the Valley of [a]Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 17 And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” 18 So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. 19 And he said, “Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.
15 He is (A)the image of the invisible God, (B)the firstborn over all creation. 16 For (C)by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or (D)dominions or [a]principalities or [b]powers. All things were created (E)through Him and for Him. 17 (F)And He is before all things, and in Him (G)all things consist. 18 And (H)He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, (I)the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Reconciled in Christ
19 For it pleased the Father that (J)in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and (K)by Him to reconcile (L)all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, (M)having made peace through the blood of His cross.
21 And you, (N)who once were alienated and enemies in your mind (O)by wicked works, yet now He has (P)reconciled 22 (Q)in the body of His flesh through death, (R)to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue (S)in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are (T)not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, (U)which was preached to every creature under heaven, (V)of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.