Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord’s Eternal Love
A Prayer of the afflicted, (A)when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord.
102 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
And let my cry come to You.
2 (B)Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days [a]are (C)consumed like smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
So that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my [b]skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I lie awake,
And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
8 My enemies reproach me all day long;
Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.
12 But You, O Lord, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
15 So the [c]nations shall (D)fear the name of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the Lord shall build up Zion;
(E)He shall appear in His glory.
17 (F)He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
24 You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, (A)to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be (B)officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is (C)demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should (D)put him in prison and in the stocks. 27 Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ”
29 Now Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 31 Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, (E)and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a (F)lie— 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his [a]family: he shall not have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he see the good that I will do for My people, says the Lord, (G)because he has taught rebellion against the Lord.
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 (A)Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [a]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against (B)principalities, against powers, against (C)the rulers of [b]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 (D)Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand (E)in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, (F)having girded your waist with truth, (G)having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 (H)and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking (I)the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And (J)take the helmet of salvation, and (K)the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 (L)praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, (M)being watchful to this end with all perseverance and (N)supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, (O)that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which (P)I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.