Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 72
A Prayer for the King
Solomonic.(A)
1 God, give Your justice to the king
and Your righteousness to the king’s son.(B)
2 He will judge Your people with righteousness
and Your afflicted ones with justice.(C)
3 May the mountains bring prosperity[a] to the people
and the hills, righteousness.(D)
4 May he vindicate the afflicted among the people,
help the poor,
and crush the oppressor.(E)
5 May he continue[b] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.(F)
6 May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.(G)
7 May the righteous[c] flourish in his days
and prosperity[d] abound
until the moon is no more.(H)
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.(I)
9 May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.(J)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.(K)
11 Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him.(L)
12 For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.(M)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.(N)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are[e] precious[f] in his sight.(O)
15 May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.(P)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.(Q)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.(R)
24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch,(A) whom the king had assigned to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He came and said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will give him the interpretation.”(B)
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king and said to him, “I have found a man among the Judean exiles(C) who can let the king know the interpretation.”
26 The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,(D) “Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?”(E)
27 Daniel answered the king: “No wise man, medium, diviner-priest, or astrologer(F) is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days.(G) Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed(H) were these: 29 Your Majesty, while you were in your bed, thoughts came to your mind about what will happen in the future.[a](I) The revealer of mysteries(J) has let you know what will happen. 30 As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me,(K) not because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but in order that the interpretation might be made known to the king, and that you may understand the thoughts of your mind.(L)
The Dream’s Interpretation
31 “My king, as you were watching, a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying. 32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its stomach and thighs were bronze, 33 its legs were iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly fired clay. 34 As you were watching, a stone broke off without a hand touching it,[b](M) struck the statue(N) on its feet of iron and fired clay, and crushed them.(O) 35 Then the iron, the fired clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were shattered and became like chaff(P) from the summer threshing floors. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled(Q) the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 Your Majesty, you are king of kings.(R) The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power,(S) strength, and glory. 38 Wherever people live—or wild animals, or birds of the air—He has handed them over to you and made you ruler over them all.(T) You are the head of gold.
39 “After you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours, and then another, a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule the whole earth.(U) 40 A fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; for iron crushes and shatters everything, and like iron that smashes, it will crush and smash all the others.[c](V) 41 You saw the feet and toes, partly of a potter’s fired clay and partly of iron—it will be a divided kingdom, though some of the strength of iron will be in it. You saw the iron mixed with clay, 42 and that the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly fired clay—part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle. 43 You saw the iron mixed with clay—the peoples will mix with one another[d] but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with fired clay.
44 “In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed,(W) and this kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush all these kingdoms(X) and bring them to an end, but will itself endure forever. 45 You saw a stone(Y) break off from the mountain without a hand touching it,[e](Z) and it crushed the iron, bronze, fired clay, silver, and gold. The great God has told the king what will happen in the future.[f](AA) The dream is true, and its interpretation certain.”
Nebuchadnezzar’s Response
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell down, paid homage to Daniel, and gave orders to present an offering and incense to him.(AB) 47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings,(AC) and a revealer of mysteries,(AD) since you were able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.(AE) 49 At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego(AF) to manage the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.(AG)
Consistency in the Christian Life
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time,[a](A) because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand(B) what the Lord’s will(C) is. 18 And don’t get drunk(D) with wine,(E) which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit:(F)
19 speaking to one another
in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,
singing and making music
from your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for everything
to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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