Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
139 Lord, You have (A)searched me and known me.
2 You (B)know [a]when I sit down and [b]when I get up;
You (C)understand my thought from far away.
3 You [c](D)scrutinize my [d]path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 [e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, Lord, You (E)know it all.
5 You have (F)encircled me behind and in front,
And (G)placed Your hand upon me.
6 Such (H)knowledge is (I)too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.
13 For You (A)created my innermost parts;
You (B)wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, because [a]I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
(C)Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My [b](D)frame was not hidden from You
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully formed in the (E)depths of the earth;
16 Your (F)eyes have seen my formless substance;
And in (G)Your book were written
All the (H)days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
14 (A)Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
(B)Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my (C)praise.
15 Look, they keep (D)saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd following after You,
Nor have I longed for the disastrous day;
(E)You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips
Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a (F)terror to me;
You are my (G)refuge in a day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be (H)put to shame, but as for me, (I)let me not be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
(J)Bring on them a day of disaster,
And crush them with double destruction!
The Sabbath Must Be Kept
19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the [a]public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘(K)Listen to the word of the Lord, you (L)kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: “(M)Take care for yourselves, and (N)do not carry any [b]load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day (O)nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I (P)commanded your [c]forefathers. 23 Yet they (Q)did not listen or incline their ears, but (R)stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.
24 “But it will come about, if you (S)give your attention to Me,” declares the Lord, “to (T)bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, (U)but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 (V)then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and officials (W)sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this (X)city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the (Y)cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the (Z)lowland, from the hill country, and from the (AA)Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But (AB)if you do not listen to Me, to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then (AC)I will set fire to its gates, and it will (AD)devour the palaces of Jerusalem and (AE)not go out.”’”
34 “(A)Do not think that I came to [a]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to [b]bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to (B)turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and (C)a person’s enemies will be the members of his household.
37 “(D)The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And (E)the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 (F)The one who has found his [c]life will lose it, and the one who has lost his [d]life on My account will find it.
The Reward for Service
40 “(G)The one who [e]receives you [f]receives Me, and (H)the one who [g]receives Me [h]receives Him who sent Me. 41 (I)The one who [i]receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and the one who [j]receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And (J)whoever gives one of these [k]little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.