Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 20
Deliverance in Battle
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble;(A)
may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.(B)
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and sustain you from Zion.(C)
3 May he remember all your offerings
and accept your burnt offering.(D)Selah
4 May he give you what your heart desires(E)
and fulfill your whole purpose.(F)
5 Let us shout for joy at your victory(G)
and lift the banner in the name of our God.(H)
May the Lord fulfill all your requests.(I)
6 Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed;(J)
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories from his right hand.(K)
7 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God.(L)
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.(M)
9 Lord, give victory to the king!(N)
May he[a] answer us on the day that we call.
Jotham’s Parable
7 When they told Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim,(A) raised his voice, and called to them:
Listen to me, citizens of Shechem,
and may God listen to you:
8 The trees decided
to anoint a king over themselves.
They said to the olive tree, “Reign over us.”
9 But the olive tree said to them,
“Should I stop giving my oil
that people use to honor both God and men,
and rule[a] over the trees?”
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree,
“Come and reign over us.”
11 But the fig tree said to them,
“Should I stop giving
my sweetness and my good fruit,
and rule over trees?”
12 Later, the trees said to the grapevine,
“Come and reign over us.”
13 But the grapevine said to them,
“Should I stop giving my wine
that cheers both God and man,
and rule over trees?”
14 Finally, all the trees said to the bramble,
“Come and reign over us.”
15 The bramble said to the trees,
“If you really are anointing me
as king over you,
come and find refuge in my shade.
But if not,
may fire come out from the bramble
and consume the cedars of Lebanon.”
The Last Hour
18 Children, it is the last hour.(A) And as you have heard that antichrist(B) is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.
20 But you have an anointing(C) from the Holy One,(D) and all of you know the truth.[a] 21 I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?(E) This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father;(F) he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.(G)
Remaining with God
24 What you have heard from the beginning is to remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son(H) and in the Father.(I) 25 And this is the promise that he himself made to us: eternal life.(J)
26 I have written these things to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things(K) and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you,[b] remain in him.(L)
God’s Children
28 So now, little children, remain in him so that when he appears(M) we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.(N)
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