Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

32 By David. -- An Instruction. O the happiness of him whose transgression [is] forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

² O the happiness of a man, To whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ When I have kept silence, become old have my bones, Through my roaring all the day.

⁴ When by day and by night Thy hand is heavy upon me, My moisture hath been changed Into the droughts of summer. Selah.

⁵ My sin I cause Thee to know, And mine iniquity I have not covered. I have said, `I confess concerning My transgressions to Jehovah,' And Thou -- Thou hast taken away, The iniquity of my sin. Selah.

⁶ For this doth every saintly one pray to Thee, As the time to find. Surely at an overflowing of many waters, Unto him they come not.

⁷ Thou [art] a hiding-place for me, From distress Thou dost keep me, [With] songs of deliverance dost compass me. Selah.

⁸ I cause thee to act wisely, And direct thee in the way that thou goest, I cause mine eye to take counsel concerning thee.

⁹ Be ye not as a horse -- as a mule, Without understanding, With bridle and bit, its ornaments, to curb, Not to come near unto thee.

¹⁰ Many [are] the pains of the wicked; As to him who is trusting in Jehovah, Kindness doth compass him.

¹¹ Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous, And sing, all ye upright of heart!

15 And it cometh to pass afterwards, that Absalom prepareth for himself a chariot, and horses, and fifty men are running before him;

² and Absalom hath risen early, and stood by the side of the way of the gate, and it cometh to pass, every man who hath a pleading to come unto the king for judgment, that Absalom calleth unto him, and saith, `Of what city [art] thou?' and he saith, `Of one of the tribes of Israel [is] thy servant.'

³ And Absalom saith unto him, `See, thy matters [are] good and straightforward -- and there is none hearkening to thee from the king.'

⁴ And Absalom saith, `Who doth make me a judge in the land, that unto me doth come every man who hath a plea and judgment? -- then I have declared him righteous.'

⁵ And it hath come to pass, in the drawing nearing of any one to bow himself to him, that he hath put forth his hand, and laid hold on him, and given a kiss to him;

⁶ and Absalom doth according to this thing to all Israel who come in for judgment unto the king, and Absalom stealeth the heart of the men of Israel.

⁷ And it cometh to pass, at the end of forty years, that Absalom saith unto the king, `Let me go, I pray thee, and I complete my vow, that I vowed to Jehovah in Hebron,

⁸ for a vow hath thy servant vowed in my dwelling in Geshur, in Aram, saying, If Jehovah doth certainly bring me back to Jerusalem, then I have served Jehovah.'

⁹ And the king saith to him, `Go in peace;' and he riseth and goeth to Hebron,

¹⁰ and Absalom sendeth spies through all the tribes of Israel, saying, `At your hearing the voice of the trumpet, then ye have said, Absalom hath reigned in Hebron.'

¹¹ And with Absalom have gone two hundred men, out of Jerusalem, invited ones, and they are going in their simplicity, and have not known anything;

¹² and Absalom sendeth Ahithophel the Gilonite, a counsellor of David, out of his city, out of Gilo, in his sacrificing sacrifices; and the conspiracy is strong, and the people are going and increasing with Absalom.

11 I say, then, Did God cast away His people? let it not be! for I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin:

² God did not cast away His people whom He knew before; have ye not known -- in Elijah -- what the Writing saith? how he doth plead with God concerning Israel, saying,

³ `Lord, Thy prophets they did kill, and Thy altars they dug down, and I was left alone, and they seek my life;'

⁴ but what saith the divine answer to him? `I left to Myself seven thousand men, who did not bow a knee to Baal.'

⁵ So then also in the present time a remnant according to the choice of grace there hath been;

⁶ and if by grace, no more of works, otherwise the grace becometh no more grace; and if of works, it is no more grace, otherwise the work is no more work.

⁷ What then? What Israel doth seek after, this it did not obtain, and the chosen did obtain, and the rest were hardened,

⁸ according as it hath been written, `God gave to them a spirit of deep sleep, eyes not to see, and ears not to hear,' -- unto this very day,

⁹ and David saith, `Let their table become for a snare, and for a trap, and for a stumbling-block, and for a recompense to them;

¹⁰ let their eyes be darkened -- not to behold, and their back do Thou always bow down.'