Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

To the Overcomer, A Psalm of David.

¹ ¶ Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man; preserve me from the man of violence.

² Who devise evil in their heart; they are continually gathered together for war.

³ They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.

⁴ Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the man of violence, who have purposed to overthrow my steps.

⁵ The proud have hid a snare for me and cords; they have spread a net; on the path they have set snares for me. Selah.

⁶ I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.

⁷ O GOD the Lord, the strength of my saving health, cover thou my head in the day of battle.

⁸ ¶ Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further his wicked thought lest they exalt themselves. Selah.

⁹ As for the head of those that compass me about, let the perversion of their own lips cover them.

¹⁰ Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, that they not rise up again.

¹¹ The man with an evil tongue shall not be established in the earth; evil shall hunt the man of violence to overthrow him.

¹² I know that the LORD will effect the judgment of the poor and the judgment of the destitute.

¹³ Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

¹⁶ Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

¹⁷ They say boldly unto those that stir me to anger, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto anyone that walks after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

¹⁸ For who has stood in the secret of the LORD and has seen and heard his word? Who has paid attention to his word and heard it?

¹⁹ Behold, that the whirlwind of the LORD shall go forth with fury, and the whirlwind which is ready shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.

²⁰ The anger of the LORD shall not return until he has executed and until he has performed the thoughts of his heart: in the last of the days ye shall understand it with understanding.

²¹ I did not send those prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.

²² But if they had stood in my secret, they would also have caused my people to hear my words, and they would have caused them to return from their evil way and from the evil of their doings.

¹⁶ ¶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore prudent as serpents and innocent as doves.

¹⁷ But keep yourselves from men, for they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

¹⁸ and ye shall even be brought before princes and kings for my sake, for testimony unto them and to the Gentiles.

¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

²⁰ For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

²¹ And brother shall deliver up brother unto death, and the father the child, and children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death.

²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name, but he that endures to the end shall be saved.

²³ But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another, for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel until the Son of man be come.

²⁴ The disciple is not above his master, nor the slave above his lord.

²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the slave as his lord. If they have called the husband of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call those of his household?