Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 God, I will sing a (A)new song to You;
On a (B)harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 Who (C)gives salvation to kings,
Who (D)rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
11 Rescue me and save me from the hand of (E)foreigners,
Whose mouth (F)speaks deceit
And whose (G)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
12 When our sons in their youth are like (H)growing plants,
And our daughters like (I)corner pillars [a]fashioned for a palace,
13 Our (J)granaries are full, providing every kind of produce,
And our flocks deliver thousands and ten thousands in our [b]fields;
14 May our (K)cattle [c]be bred
Without [d](L)mishap and without [e](M)loss,
May there be no (N)outcry in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people who are so situated;
(O)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Solomon’s Wedding Day
The Bride
6 “[a](A)What is this coming up from the wilderness
Like (B)columns of smoke,
Perfumed with (C)myrrh and (D)frankincense,
With all the scented powders of the merchant?
The Chorus
7 Behold, it is [b]the traveling couch of Solomon;
Sixty warriors around it,
Of the warriors of Israel.
8 All of them are wielders of the sword,
(E)Expert in war;
Each man has his (F)sword at his side,
Guarding against the [c](G)terrors of the night.
9 King Solomon has made for himself a [d]sedan chair
From the timber of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
Its [e]back of gold
And its seat of purple fabric,
With its interior lovingly inlaid
By the (H)daughters of Jerusalem.
11 Go out, you (I)daughters of Zion,
And look at King Solomon with the [f]crown
With which his mother has crowned him
On the (J)day of his wedding,
And on the day of the joy of his heart.”
A Good Minister’s Discipline
6 In pointing out these things to (A)the brothers and sisters, you will be a good (B)servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the (C)good doctrine which you (D)have been following. 7 But [a]stay away from (E)worthless (F)stories that are typical of old women. Rather, [b]discipline yourself for the purpose of (G)godliness; 8 for (H)bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but (I)godliness is beneficial for all things, since it (J)holds promise for the (K)present life and also for the life to come. 9 (L)It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have set (M)our hope on (N)the living God, who is (O)the Savior of all mankind, especially of believers.
11 [c](P)Prescribe and teach these things. 12 (Q)Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, (R)love, faith, and purity, show yourself (S)an example [d]of those who believe. 13 (T)Until I come, give your attention to the public [e](U)reading, to exhortation, and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was granted to you through words of (V)prophecy with (W)the laying on of hands by the [f](X)council of elders. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 (Y)Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will (Z)save both yourself and those who hear you.
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