Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

To the Overcomer, A Psalm of David, the slave of the LORD, who spoke unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,

¹ ¶ I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

² The LORD is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

³ I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies.

²⁰ ¶ The LORD will reward me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he shall recompense me.

²¹ Because I have kept the ways of the LORD and did not become wicked departing in apostasy from my God.

²² For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

²³ I was perfect before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴ Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.

²⁵ With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with a perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;

²⁶ with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt show thyself adversary.

²⁷ Therefore thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down high looks.

²⁸ For thou wilt light my fire: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

²⁹ ¶ For with thee I have scattered armies; and in my God I have overcome walled defenses.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is precise: a shield to all those that wait in him.

³¹ For who is God except the LORD? or who is a refuge except our God?

³² It is God that girds me with strength and makes my way perfect.

³ ¶ And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you and prepare your hearts unto the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

⁴ Then the sons of Israel did put away the Baalim and Ashtaroth and served the LORD only.

⁵ And Samuel said, Gather all Israel in Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.

⁶ And they gathered together in Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpeh.

⁷ ¶ And when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel were gathered together in Mizpeh, the cardinals of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

⁸ And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

⁹ And Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it for a burnt offering completely unto the LORD, and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel, and the LORD heard him.

¹⁰ And it came to pass as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering that the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and crushed them, and they were smitten before Israel.

¹¹ And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh and pursued the Philistines and smote them until they were below Bethcar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Thus far the LORD has helped us.

¹³ ¶ So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the border of Israel, and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

2 ¶ Therefore, thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest; for in that which thou dost judge another, thou dost condemn thyself; for thou that judgest others doest the same things.

² For we are sure that the judgment of God is according to the truth against those who do such things.

³ And dost thou think this, O man, that judgest those who do such things and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

⁴ Or dost thou despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, ignoring that the goodness of God leads thee to repentance?

⁵ But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

⁶ who will render to everyone according to his deeds:

⁷ to those who persevered in well doing, glory and honour and incorruption, to those who seek eternal life;

⁸ but unto those that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but are persuaded by unrighteousness, indignation and wrath.

⁹ Tribulation and anguish shall be upon every human soul that does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek;

¹⁰ but glory, honour, and peace to everyone that works good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

¹¹ For there is no respect of persons with God.