Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
12 Praise the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (A)bars of your gates;
He has (B)blessed your sons among you.
14 He (C)makes [a]peace in your borders;
He (D)satisfies you with (E)the [b]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends His (F)command to the earth;
His (G)word runs very swiftly.
16 He [c]showers (H)snow like wool;
He scatters the (I)frost like ashes.
17 He hurls His (J)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (K)cold?
18 He (L)sends His word and makes them melt;
He (M)makes His wind blow, and the waters flow.
19 He (N)declares His words to Jacob,
His (O)statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 He (P)has not dealt this way with any other nation;
And as for His judgments, [d]they have (Q)not known them.
[e]Praise [f]the Lord!
5 (A)In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon (B)in a dream at night; and God said, “(C)Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
Solomon’s Prayer
6 Then Solomon said, “(D)You have shown great faithfulness to Your servant David my father, (E)according as he walked before You in [a]truth, righteousness, and uprightness of heart toward You; and (F)You have [b]reserved for him this great faithfulness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 And now, Lord my God, (G)You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet (H)I am like a little boy; (I)I do not know how to [c]go out or come in. 8 And (J)Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, (K)a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9 So (L)give Your servant [d]an understanding heart to judge Your people, (M)to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this [e]great people of Yours?”
God’s Answer
10 Now [f]it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing, and have (N)not asked for yourself [g]a long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 12 behold, (O)I have done according to your words. Behold, (P)I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 13 (Q)I have also given you what you have not asked, both (R)riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 14 And (S)if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will (T)prolong your days.”
Jesus Is the Light of the World
12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “(A)I am the Light of the world; (B)the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “(C)You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not [a]true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “(D)Even if I am testifying about Myself, My testimony is [b]true, because I know (E)where I came from and where I am going; but (F)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 (G)You judge [c]according to the flesh; (H)I am not judging anyone. 16 But even (I)if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in (J)your Law it has been written that the testimony of (K)two people is [d]true. 18 I am He who testifies about Myself, and (L)the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” 19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; (M)if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”
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