Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Song of Thanks for Being Kept Safe

18 I love You, O Lord, my strength. ² The Lord is my rock, and my safe place, and the One Who takes me out of trouble. My God is my rock, in Whom I am safe. He is my safe-covering, my saving strength, and my strong tower. ³ I call to the Lord, Who has the right to be praised. And I am saved from those who hate me.

²⁰ The Lord has paid me because of my being right with Him. Because of my clean hands He has paid me. ²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord. And I have not sinned by turning from my God. ²² All His Laws are in front of me. I have not set His Laws aside. ²³ Before Him I was without blame. And I have kept myself from sin. ²⁴ So the Lord has paid me back for being right with Him, and for my hands being clean in His eyes.

²⁵ To the faithful, You show Yourself faithful. To those without blame, You show Yourself without blame. ²⁶ With the pure, You show Yourself pure. With the sinful You show Yourself to be against them. ²⁷ You save those who are suffering, but You bring low those who have pride in their eyes. ²⁸ You make my lamp bright. The Lord my God lights my darkness. ²⁹ With Your help I can go against many soldiers. With my God I can jump over a wall.

³⁰ As for God, His way is perfect. The Word of the Lord has stood the test. He is a covering for all who go to Him for a safe place. ³¹ For Who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock except our God? ³² It is God Who covers me with strength and makes my way perfect.

³ Then Samuel said to all the family of Israel, “Return to the Lord with all your heart. Put away the strange gods and the false goddess Ashtaroth from among you. Turn your hearts to the Lord and worship Him alone. Then He will save you from the Philistines.” ⁴ So the people of Israel put away from among them the false gods of Baal and Ashtaroth and worshiped the Lord alone.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at Mizpah. They got water and poured it out before the Lord as a gift, and did not eat that day. They said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷ The Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, so the leaders of the Philistines went to battle against them. When the people of Israel heard about it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ The Israelites said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the Philistines.” ⁹ Samuel took a young lamb and gave it as a whole burnt gift to the Lord. Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was burning the gift to the Lord, the Philistines came near to battle against Israel. But the Lord made a loud thunder that day against the Philistines, making them afraid. So they lost the battle with Israel. ¹¹ The men of Israel left Mizpah and went after the Philistines, killing them almost as far as Bethcar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. He gave it the name Ebenezer, saying, “The Lord has helped us this far.” ¹³ So the Philistines were beaten. They did not come into the land of Israel again. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel’s life.

2 So you can say nothing because you are guilty when you say someone else is guilty. While you say someone is guilty, you are doing the same things he does. ² We know that God will say those who do such things are guilty. ³ Do you think God will punish others for doing wrong and let you keep sinning? ⁴ Do you forget about His loving-kindness to you? Do you forget how long He is waiting for you? You know that God is kind. He is trying to get you to be sorry for your sins and turn from them. ⁵ Because you are not sorry for your sins and will not turn from them, you will be punished even more on the day of God’s anger. God will be right in saying you are guilty. ⁶ He will give to every man what he should get for the things he has done. ⁷ Those who keep on doing good and are looking for His greatness and honor will receive life that lasts forever. ⁸ Those who love only themselves and do not obey the truth, but do what is wrong, will be punished by God. His anger will be on them. ⁹ Every Jew and every person who is not a Jew who sins will suffer and have great sorrow. ¹⁰ But God will give His greatness and honor and peace to all those who obey the truth. Both Jews and those who are not Jews will receive this. ¹¹ God does not show favor to one man more than to another.