1 Kings 3:5-14

[5]At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." [6]And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. [7]And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. [8]And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. [9]Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?"

[10]It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. [11]God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right [12]I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. [13]I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. [14]If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life."

1 Kings 17:17-24

[17]After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. [18]She then said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!" [19]But he said to her, "Give me your son." He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. [20]He cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?" [21]Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this child's life come into him again." [22]The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. [23]Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, "See, your son is alive." [24]So the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."

Psalm 96

[1] O sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
[2] Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
[3] Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
[4] For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
[5] For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
[6] Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
[7] Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
[8] Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
[9] Worship the LORD in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.

[10] Say among the nations, "The LORD is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity."
[11] Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
[12] let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
[13] before the LORD; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.

Isaiah 54:1-13

[1]Sing, O barren one who did not bear;  

     burst into song and shout,  

     you who have not been in labor!  

For the children of the desolate woman will be more  

     than the children of her that is married, says the LORD.  

[2]Enlarge the site of your tent,  

     and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;  

do not hold back; lengthen your cords  

     and strengthen your stakes.  

[3]For you will spread out to the right and to the left,  

     and your descendants will possess the nations  

     and will settle the desolate towns.

[4]Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;  

     do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace;  

for you will forget the shame of your youth,  

     and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.  

[5]For your Maker is your husband,  

     the LORD of hosts is his name;  

the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,  

     the God of the whole earth he is called.  

[6]For the LORD has called you  

     like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,  

like the wife of a man's youth when she is cast off,  

     says your God.  

[7]For a brief moment I abandoned you,  

     but with great compassion I will gather you.  

[8]In overflowing wrath for a moment  

     I hid my face from you,  

but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,  

     says the LORD, your Redeemer.

[9]This is like the days of Noah to me:  

     Just as I swore that the waters of Noah  

     would never again go over the earth,  

so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you  

     and will not rebuke you.  

[10]For the mountains may depart  

     and the hills be removed,  

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,  

     and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,  

     says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

[11]O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,  

     I am about to set your stones in antimony,  

     and lay your foundations with sapphires.  

[12]I will make your pinnacles of rubies,  

     your gates of jewels,  

     and all your wall of precious stones.  

[13]All your children shall be taught by the LORD,  

     and great shall be the prosperity of your children.

Proverbs 8:22-30

[22]The LORD created me at the beginning of his work,  

     the first of his acts of long ago.  

[23]Ages ago I was set up,  

     at the first, before the beginning of the earth.  

[24]When there were no depths I was brought forth,  

     when there were no springs abounding with water.  

[25]Before the mountains had been shaped,  

     before the hills, I was brought forth --  

[26]when he had not yet made earth and fields,  

     or the world's first bits of soil.  

[27]When he established the heavens, I was there,  

     when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,  

[28]when he made firm the skies above,  

     when he established the fountains of the deep,  

[29]when he assigned to the sea its limit,  

     so that the waters might not transgress his command,  

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,  

[30]  then I was beside him, like a master worker;  

and I was daily his delight,  

     rejoicing before him always.

Acts 6:1-7

[1]Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. [2]And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. [3]Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, [4]while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word." [5]What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. [6]They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

[7]The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Micah 4:1-5, 5:2-4

4:1In days to come
the mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised up above the hills.
Peoples shall stream to it,
[2]and many nations shall come and say:
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
[3]He shall judge between many peoples,
and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
[4]but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
[5]For all the peoples walk,
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
forever and ever.

5:2But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
[3]Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
[4]And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;

Isaiah 60:1-6

[1]Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
[2]For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
[3]Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

[4]Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.
[5]Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
[6]A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Jeremiah 31:10-14

[10]Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."
[11]For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
[12]They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the LORD, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again.
[13]Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
[14]I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the LORD.

2 Samuel 7:18-28

[18]Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? [19]And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD; you have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people, O Lord GOD! [20]And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD! [21]Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may know it.

[22]Therefore you are great, O LORD God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. [23]Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there another nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people, and to make a name for himself, doing great and awesome things for them, by driving out before his people nations and their gods? [24]And you established your people Israel for yourself to be your people for ever; and you, O LORD, became their God.

[25]And now, O LORD God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it for ever; do as you have promised. [26]Thus your name will be magnified for ever in the saying, 'The LORD of hosts is God over Israel'; and the house of your servant David will be established before you. [27]For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house'; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. [28]And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; [29]now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue for ever before you; for you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed for ever."

2 Samuel 7:1-17

[1]Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, [2]the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."[3]Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you."

[4]But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan: [5]Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? [6]I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. [7]Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" [8]Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; [9]and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. [10]And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, [11]from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. [12]When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. [13]He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. [14]I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. [15]But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. [16]Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever. [17]In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

1 Samuel 2:1b-10

1b"My heart exults in the LORD;

my strength is exalted in my God.

My mouth derides my enemies,

because I rejoice in my victory.

[2]"There is no Holy One like the LORD,

no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

[3]Talk no more so very proudly,

let not arrogance come from your mouth;

for the LORD is a God of knowledge,

and by him actions are weighed.

[4]The bows of the mighty are broken,

but the feeble gird on strength.

[5]Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.

The barren has borne seven,

but she who has many children is forlorn.

[6]The LORD kills and brings to life;

he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

[7]The LORD makes poor and makes rich;

he brings low, he also exalts.

[8]He raises up the poor from the dust;

he lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes

and inherit a seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,

and on them he has set the world.

[9]"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,

but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;

for not by might does one prevail.

[10]The LORD! His adversaries shall be shattered;

the Most High will thunder in heaven.

The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;

he will give strength to his king,

and exalt the power of his anointed."

Zephaniah 3:14-20

[14]Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

[15]The LORD has taken away the judgments against you,

he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;

you shall fear disaster no more.

[16]On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands grow weak.

[17]The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

[18]as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it.

[19]I will deal with all your oppressors

at that time.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

[20]At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes, says the LORD.

Zechariah 7:8-8:8

[8] The word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying: [9] Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; [10] do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. [11] But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. [12] They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. [13] Just as, when I called, they would not hear, so, when they called, I would not hear, says the LORD of hosts, [14] and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.

8:1 The word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying: [2] Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. [3] Thus says the LORD: I will return to Zion, and will
dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. [4] Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. [5] And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its
streets. [6] Thus says the LORD of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the LORD of hosts? [7] Thus says the LORD of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; [8] and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.

Zechariah 2:1-13

[1]I looked up and saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. [2]Then I asked, "Where are you going?" He answered me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length." [3]Then the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him, [4]and said to him, "Run, say to that young man: Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and animals in it. [5]For I will be a wall of fire all around it, says the LORD, and I will be the glory within it."

[6]Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the LORD; for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says the LORD. [7]Up! Escape to Zion, you that live with daughter Babylon. [8]For thus said the LORD of hosts (after his glory sent me) regarding the nations that plundered you: Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye. [9]See now, I am going to raise my hand against them, and they shall become plunder for their own slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me. [10]Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD.[11]Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. [12]The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

[13]Be silent, all people, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Amos 9:11-15

[11]On that day I will raise up
the booth of David that is fallen,
and repair its breaches,
and raise up its ruins,
and rebuild it as in the days of old;
[12]in order that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations who are called by my name,
says the LORD who does this.

[13]The time is surely coming, says the LORD,
when the one who plows shall overtake the one who reaps,
and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed;
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and all the hills shall flow with it.
[14]I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
[15]I will plant them upon their land,
and they shall never again be plucked up
out of the land that I have given them,
says the LORD your God.

Psalm 102

[1] Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry come to you.
[2] Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call.

[3] For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.
[4] My heart is stricken and withered like grass;
I am too wasted to eat my bread.
[5] Because of my loud groaning
my bones cling to my skin.
[6] I am like an owl of the wilderness,
like a little owl of the waste places.
[7] I lie awake;
I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
[8] All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
[9] For I eat ashes like bread,
and mingle tears with my drink,
[10] because of your indignation and anger;
for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.
[11] My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.

[12] But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;
your name endures to all generations.
[13] You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to favor it;
the appointed time has come.
[14] For your servants hold its stones dear,
and have pity on its dust.
[15] The nations will fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory.
[16] For the LORD will build up Zion;
he will appear in his glory.
[17] He will regard the prayer of the destitute,
and will not despise their prayer.
[18] Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:
[19] that he looked down from his holy height,
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
[20] to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die;
[21] so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,
and his praise in Jerusalem,
[22] when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.

[23] He has broken my strength in midcourse;
he has shortened my days.
[24] "O my God," I say, "do not take me away
at the mid-point of my life,
you whose years endure
throughout all generations."

[25] Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
[26] They will perish, but you endure;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You change them like clothing, and they pass away;
[27] but you are the same, and your years have no end.
[28] The children of your servants shall live secure;
their offspring shall be established in your presence.

Psalm 18:1-20

[1]I love you, O LORD, my strength.
[2]The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
[3]I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
[4]The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
[5]the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
[6]In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
[7]Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
[8]Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
[9]He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
[10]He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
[11]He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
[12]Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
[13]The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
[14]And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
[15]Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
[16]He reached down from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
[17]He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
[18]They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
but the LORD was my support.
[19]He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
[20]The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

Matthew 23:1-12

[1]Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, [2]"The scribes and the
Pharisees sit on Moses' seat [3] therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. [4]They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. [5]They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. [6]They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, [7]and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. [8]But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. [9]And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father the one in heaven. [10]Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. [11]The greatest among you will be your servant. [12]All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted."

Psalm 33

[1]   Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous.  

          Praise befits the upright.  

[2]   Praise the LORD with the lyre;  

          make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.  

[3]   Sing to him a new song;  

          play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

[4]   For the word of the LORD is upright,  

          and all his work is done in faithfulness.  

[5]   He loves righteousness and justice;  

          the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

[6]   By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,  

          and all their host by the breath of his mouth.  

[7]   He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;  

          he put the deeps in storehouses.

[8]   Let all the earth fear the LORD;  

          let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.  

[9]   For he spoke, and it came to be;  

          he commanded, and it stood firm.

[10]  The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;  

          he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  

[11]  The counsel of the LORD stands forever,  

          the thoughts of his heart to all generations.  

[12]   Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD,  

          the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

[13]  The LORD looks down from heaven;  

          he sees all humankind.  

[14]  From where he sits enthroned he watches  

          all the inhabitants of the earth --  

[15]  he who fashions the hearts of them all,  

          and observes all their deeds.  

[16]  A king is not saved by his great army;  

          a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.  

[17]  The war horse is a vain hope for victory,  

          and by its great might it cannot save.

[18]  Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,  

          on those who hope in his steadfast love,  

[19]  to deliver their soul from death,  

          and to keep them alive in famine.

[20]  Our soul waits for the LORD;  

          he is our help and shield.  

[21]  Our heart is glad in him,  

          because we trust in his holy name.  

[22]  Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,  

          even as we hope in you.

Revelation 1:1-8

[1]The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, [2]who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

[3]Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.

[4]John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, [5]and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, [6]and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. [7]Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.

[8]"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Luke 1:57-68

[57]Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. [58]Her
neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her,
and they rejoiced with her.

[59]On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. [60]But his mother said, "No; he is to be called John." [61]They said to her, "None of your relatives has this name." [62]Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. [63]He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And all of them were amazed. [64]Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. [65]Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. [66]All who heard them pondered them and said, "What then will this child become?" For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

[67]Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this
prophecy:
[68]"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them."

Psalm 90

[1]   Lord, you have been our dwelling place 
          in all generations. 
[2]   Before the mountains were brought forth, 
          or ever you had formed the earth and the world, 
          from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

[3]   You turn us back to dust, 
          and say, "Turn back, you mortals." 
[4]   For a thousand years in your sight 
          are like yesterday when it is past, 
          or like a watch in the night.

[5]   You sweep them away; they are like a dream, 
          like grass that is renewed in the morning; 
[6]   in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; 
          in the evening it fades and withers.

[7]   For we are consumed by your anger; 
          by your wrath we are overwhelmed. 
[8]   You have set our iniquities before you, 
          our secret sins in the light of your countenance.

[9]   For all our days pass away under your wrath; 
          our years come to an end like a sigh. 
[10]  The days of our life are seventy years, 
          or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; 
     even then their span is only toil and trouble; 
          they are soon gone, and we fly away.

[11]  Who considers the power of your anger? 
          Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. 
[12]  So teach us to count our days 
          that we may gain a wise heart.

[13]  Turn, O LORD! How long? 
          Have compassion on your servants! 
[14]  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, 
          so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 
[15]  Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, 
          and as many years as we have seen evil. 
[16]  Let your work be manifest to your servants, 
          and your glorious power to their children. 
[17]  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, 
          and prosper for us the work of our hands -- 
          O prosper the work of our hands!

Psalm 102

[1]   Hear my prayer, O LORD;  

          let my cry come to you.  

[2]   Do not hide your face from me  

          in the day of my distress.  

     Incline your ear to me;  

          answer me speedily in the day when I call.

[3]   For my days pass away like smoke,  

          and my bones burn like a furnace.  

[4]   My heart is stricken and withered like grass;  

          I am too wasted to eat my bread.  

[5]   Because of my loud groaning  

          my bones cling to my skin.  

[6]   I am like an owl of the wilderness,  

          like a little owl of the waste places.  

[7]   I lie awake;  

          I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.  

[8]   All day long my enemies taunt me;  

          those who deride me use my name for a curse.  

[9]   For I eat ashes like bread,  

          and mingle tears with my drink,  

[10]  because of your indignation and anger;  

          for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.  

[11]  My days are like an evening shadow;  

          I wither away like grass.

[12]  But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;  

          your name endures to all generations.  

[13]  You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,  

          for it is time to favor it;  

          the appointed time has come.  

[14]  For your servants hold its stones dear,  

          and have pity on its dust.  

[15]  The nations will fear the name of the LORD,  

          and all the kings of the earth your glory.  

[16]  For the LORD will build up Zion;  

          he will appear in his glory.  

[17]  He will regard the prayer of the destitute,  

          and will not despise their prayer.  

[18]  Let this be recorded for a generation to come,  

          so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:  

[19]  that he looked down from his holy height,  

          from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,  

[20]  to hear the groans of the prisoners,  

          to set free those who were doomed to die;  

[21]  so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion,  

          and his praise in Jerusalem,  

[22]  when peoples gather together,  

          and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.

[23]  He has broken my strength in midcourse;  

          he has shortened my days.  

[24]  "O my God," I say, "do not take me away  

          at the mid-point of my life,  

     you whose years endure  

          throughout all generations."

[25]  Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth,  

          and the heavens are the work of your hands.  

[26]  They will perish, but you endure;  

          they will all wear out like a garment.  

     You change them like clothing, and they pass away;  

[27]       but you are the same, and your years have no end.  

[28]  The children of your servants shall live secure;  

          their offspring shall be established in your presence.