Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer for the King
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
20 May the Lord answer you in times of trouble.
May the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from his Temple
and support you from Mount Zion.
3 May he remember all your offerings
and accept all your sacrifices. Selah
4 May he give you what you want
and make all your plans succeed,
5 and we will shout for joy when you succeed,
and we will raise a flag in the name of our God.
May the Lord give you all that you ask for.
6 Now I know the Lord helps his appointed king.
He answers him from his holy heaven
and saves him with his strong right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, others in horses,
but we trust the Lord our God.
8 They are overwhelmed and defeated,
but we march forward and win.
9 Lord, save the king!
Answer us when we call for help.
A Song of Praise to God
26 At that time people will sing this song in Judah:
We have a strong city.
God protects us with its strong walls and defenses.
2 Open the gates,
and the good people will enter,
those who follow God.
3 You, Lord, give true peace
to those who depend on you,
because they trust you.
4 So, trust the Lord always,
because he is our Rock forever.
5 He will destroy the proud city,
and he will punish the people living there.
He will bring that high city down to the ground
and throw it down into the dust.
6 Then those who were hurt by the city will walk on its ruins;
those who were made poor by the city will trample it under their feet.
7 The path of life is level for those who are right with God;
Lord, you make the way of life smooth for those people.
8 But, Lord, we are waiting
for your way of justice.
Our souls want to remember
you and your name.
9 My soul wants to be with you at night,
and my spirit wants to be with you at the dawn of every day.
When your way of justice comes to the land,
people of the world will learn the right way of living.
Living by Faith
16 So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. 17 We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles. 18 We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.