Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer of David.

17 Hear the right, O Jehovah, attend unto my cry; give ear unto my prayer, which is not out of feigned lips.

² Let my judgment come forth from thy presence, let thine eyes regard equity.

³ Thou hast proved my heart, thou hast visited me by night; thou hast tried me, thou hast found nothing: my thought goeth not beyond my word.

⁴ Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept from the paths of the violent [man].

⁵ When thou holdest my goings in thy paths, my footsteps slip not.

⁶ I have called upon thee, for thou answerest me, O God. Incline thine ear unto me, hear my speech.

⁷ Shew wondrously thy loving-kindnesses, O thou that savest by thy right hand them that trust [in thee] from those that rise up [against them].

⁸ Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

⁹ From the wicked that destroy me, my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

¹⁰ They are enclosed in their own fat; with their mouth they speak proudly.

¹¹ They have now encompassed us in our steps; their eyes have they set, bowing down to the earth.

¹² He is like a lion that is greedy of its prey, and as a young lion lurking in secret places.

¹³ Arise, Jehovah, anticipate him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, thy sword;

¹⁴ From men [who are] thy hand, O Jehovah, from men of this age: their portion is in [this] life, and their belly thou fillest with thy hid [treasure]; they have their fill of sons, and leave the rest of their [substance] to their children.

¹⁵ As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

⁵ Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed is the man that confideth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah.

⁶ And he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but he shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.

⁷ Blessed is the man that confideth in Jehovah, and whose confidence Jehovah is.

⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out its roots by the stream, and he shall not see when heat cometh, but his leaf shall be green; and in the year of drought he shall not be careful, neither shall he cease to yield fruit.

⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things, and incurable; who can know it?

¹⁰ I Jehovah search the heart, I try the reins, even to give each one according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

¹¹ [As] the partridge sitteth on [eggs] it hath not laid, [so] is he that getteth riches and not by right: in the midst of his days shall he leave them, and at his end shall be a fool.

¹² A throne of glory, [set] on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary.

¹³ Thou hope of Israel, Jehovah! all that forsake thee shall be ashamed. They that depart from me shall be written in the earth; because they have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters.

¹⁴ Heal me, Jehovah, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

¹⁵ Behold, these say unto me, Where is the word of Jehovah? let it then come!

¹⁶ But as for me, I have not hastened from being a shepherd in following thee, neither have I desired the fatal day, thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was before thy face.

¹⁷ Be not a terror unto me: thou art my refuge in the day of evil.

¹⁸ Let them be ashamed that persecute me, but let not me be ashamed; let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed; bring upon them the day of evil, and break them with a double breaking.

²² Then was brought to him one possessed by a demon, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the dumb [man] spake and saw.

²³ And all the crowds were amazed and said, Is this [man] the Son of David?

²⁴ But the Pharisees, having heard [it], said, This [man] does not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub, prince of demons.

²⁵ But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not subsist.

²⁶ And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom subsist?

²⁷ And if *I* cast out demons by Beelzebub, your sons, by whom do they cast [them] out? For this reason *they* shall be your judges.

²⁸ But if *I* by [the] Spirit of God cast out demons, then indeed the kingdom of God is come upon you.

²⁹ Or how can any one enter into the house of the strong [man] and plunder his goods, unless first he bind the strong [man]? and then he will plunder his house.

³⁰ He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters.

³¹ For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.

³² And whosoever shall have spoken a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming [one].