Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

¹ ¶ LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me.

² There are many who say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

³ But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of my head.

⁴ ¶ I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he answered me out of the mountain of his holiness. Selah.

⁵ I laid me down and slept; I awaked, for the LORD sustained me.

⁶ I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about.

⁷ Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the jawbone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

⁸ Salvation belongs unto the LORD; thy blessing shall be upon thy people. Selah.

⁵ ¶ Even more than he who is given over to wine, the transposer, the proud man, shall not remain, who enlarges his desire as Sheol and is as death and cannot be satisfied, but gathered unto him all the Gentiles and heaps unto him all the peoples;

⁶ Shall not all these take up a parable against him and a taunting enigma against him and say, Woe to him that multiplied that which was not his! And for how long would he pile thick clay upon himself?

⁷ Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee and awake those that shall take thy place, and thou shalt be for a prey unto them?

⁸ Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the other peoples shall spoil thee because of human blood and for the robberies of the land, of the cities, and of all that dwell therein.

⁹ Woe to him that covets ill-gotten gain by violence for his house that he may set his nest on high, that he may escape from the power of evil!

¹⁰ Thou hast taken shameful counsel for thy house by cutting off many peoples and hast committed a sin against thy life.

¹¹ For the stone shall cry out from the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

5 ¶ Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and anyone that loves him that begat also loves him that is born of him.

² In this we know that we love the sons of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

³ For this is the charity of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous.

⁴ For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.

⁵ Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

¹³ These things I have written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.

¹⁴ ¶ And this is the confidence that we have in God, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us:

¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have the petitions that we asked of him.

¹⁶ If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask God, and he shall give him life that is, unto those that do not sin unto death. There is sin unto death, for which I do not say that you should pray.

¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin, but there is a sin not unto death.

¹⁸ ¶ We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

¹⁹ And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.

²⁰ But we know that the Son of God is come and has given us understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.