Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 18
For the worship leader. A song of David, the Eternal One’s servant, who addressed these words to the Eternal after He had rescued him from Saul and his other enemies.
This Davidic psalm is also found in 2 Samuel 22. It expresses gratitude to God for saving him.
1 I love You, Eternal One, source of my power.
2 The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my salvation;
He is my True God, the stronghold in which I hide,
my strong shield, the horn that calls forth help, and my tall-walled tower.
3 I call out to the Eternal, who is worthy to be praised—
that’s how I will be rescued from my enemies.
20 The Eternal One responded to me according to my goodness;
I kept my hands clean, and He blessed me.
21 I kept the ways of the Eternal
and have not walked away from my True God in wickedness.
22 All His laws were there before me,
and I did not push His statutes away.
23 I was blameless before Him;
I kept myself from guilt and shame.
24 That’s why the Eternal has rewarded me for my right living;
He’s rewarded me because He saw my hands were clean.
25 You are loyal to those who are loyal;
with the innocent, You prove to be innocent;
26 With the clean, You prove to be clean;
and with the twisted, You make Yourself contrary.
27 For You rescue humble people,
but You bring the proud back in line.
28 You are the lamp who lights my way;
the Eternal, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 With Your help, I can conquer an army;
I can leap over walls with a helping hand from You.
30 Everything God does is perfect;
the promise of the Eternal rings true;
He stands as a shield for all who hide in Him.
31 Who is the True God except the Eternal?
Who stands like a rock except our God?
32 The True God who encircled me with strength
and made my pathway straight.
14 Let this be a warning, the Eternal’s word to you sarcastic jokesters,
you leaders in Jerusalem.
15 For you have made an audacious claim:
Leaders: We have made a pact with death; we’ve made a deal with the grave.
When the scourge of disease and doom comes our way, they won’t touch us.
Death and the grave will pass us by
for our fraud disguises us, and deception is our shield.
16 So the Lord, the Eternal, has this to say:
Eternal One: See here, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone—
a cornerstone, chosen and precious—for a firm foundation.
Whoever trusts in it will never be disgraced.[a]
17 Justice will be the line by which I lay out its floor plan,
and righteousness will be My leveling tool.
A hailstorm will pulverize and wash away the fraud and deception behind which people hide,
and floodwaters will overrun their hiding place.
18 Then your pact with death and the grave will be annulled.
When the scourge that you fear comes along,
It will find you and pummel you down.
19 Whenever it does come your way, it will grab you.
It could be anytime—morning, noon, or night.
To fathom its message will be sheer terror.
20 The bed is too short to stretch out and the blanket is too small
for you to hide in or pretend you are not here.
21 For the Eternal will stand as He did at Mount Perazim
and shake it all up as He did in Gibeon Valley,
To accomplish whatever it is that God wills to accomplish—
strange deeds indeed.
22 So don’t keep laughing it off,
or your chains will be made even stronger.
For I heard from the Lord, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies,
that an absolute end has been determined for the whole earth.
6 Meanwhile Jesus was at Bethany staying at the home of Simon the leper. 7 While He was at Simon’s house, a woman came to see Him. She had an alabaster flask of very valuable ointment with her, and as Jesus reclined at the table, she poured the ointment on His head. 8 The disciples, seeing this scene, were furious.
Disciples: This is an absolute waste! 9 The woman could have sold that ointment for lots of money, and then she could have given it to the poor.
10 Jesus knew what the disciples were saying among themselves, so He took them to task.
Jesus: Why don’t you leave this woman alone? She has done a good thing. 11 It is good that you are concerned about the poor, but the poor will always be with you—I will not be. 12 In pouring this ointment on My body, she has prepared Me for My burial. 13 I tell you this: the good news of the kingdom of God will be spread all over the world, and wherever the good news travels, people will tell the story of this woman and her good discipleship. And people will remember her.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.