Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
28 1 Being in great fear and heaviness of heart to see God dishonored by the wicked, he desireth to be rid of them. 4 And crieth for vengeance against them: and at length assureth himself, that God hath heard his prayer, 9 Unto whose tuition he commendeth all the faithful.
A Psalm of David.
1 Unto thee, O Lord, do I cry: O my strength, be not deaf toward me, lest if thou answer me not, I be like [a]them that go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my petitions, when I cry unto thee, when I hold up my hands toward thine [b]holy Oracle.
3 [c]Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity: which speak friendly to their neighbors, when malice is in their hearts.
4 [d]Reward them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their inventions: recompense them after the work of their hands: render them their reward.
5 For they reward not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands: therefore [e]break them down, and build them not up.
6 [f]Praised be the Lord, for he hath heard the voice of my petitions.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield: mine heart trusted in him, and I was helped: therefore mine heart shall rejoice, and with my song will I praise him.
8 The Lord is [g]their strength, and he is the strength of the deliverances of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and exalt them forever.
14 2 Samson desireth to have a wife of the Philistines. 6 He killeth a lion. 12 He propoundeth a riddle. 19 He killeth thirty. 20 His wife forsaketh him, and taketh another.
1 Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines,
2 And he came up and told his father and his mother and said, I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore [a]give me her to wife.
3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there [b]never a wife among the daughters of thy brethren, and among all my people, that thou must go to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Give me her, for she pleaseth me well.
4 But his father and his mother knew not that it came of the Lord, that he should seek an occasion against the [c]Philistines: for at that time the Philistines reigned over Israel.
5 ¶ Then went Samson, and his father and his mother down to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and behold, a young lion roared upon him.
6 And the Spirit of the Lord [d]came upon him, and he tare him, as one should have rent a kid, and had nothing in his hand, neither told he his father nor his mother what he had done.
7 And he went down, and talked with the woman which was beautiful in the eyes of Samson.
8 ¶ And within a few days, when he returned [e]to receive her, he went aside to see the carcass of the lion: and behold, there was a swarm of bees, and honey in the body of the lion.
9 And he took thereof in his hands, and went eating, and came to his father and to his mother, and gave unto them, and they did eat: but he told not them, that he had taken the honey out of the body of the lion.
10 So his father went down unto the woman, and Samson made there a [f]feast: for so used the young men to do.
11 And when [g]they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him.
12 Then Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: and if you can declare it me within seven days of the feast, and find it out, I will give you thirty sheets, and thirty [h]change of garments.
13 But if you cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they answered him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.
14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came meat, and out of the strong came sweetness: and they could not in three days expound the riddle.
15 And when the seventh day was [i]come, they said unto Samson’s wife, Entice thine husband that he may declare us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire. Have ye called us [j]to possess us? is it not so?
16 And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Surely thou hatest me, and lovest me not: for thou hast put forth a riddle unto the [k]children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?
17 Then Samson’s wife wept before him [l]seven days, while their feast lasted, and when the seventh day came, he told her, because she was importunate upon him: so she told the riddle to the children of her people.
18 And the men of the city said unto him the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a Lion? Then said he unto them, [m]If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.
19 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down [n]to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them and spoiled them, and gave change of garments unto them, which expounded the riddle: and his wrath was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.
20 Then Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.
3 I thank my God, having you in perfect memory,
4 (Always in all my prayers for all you, praying with gladness)
5 Because of the [a]fellowship which ye have in the Gospel, from the [b]first day unto now.
6 And I am persuaded of this same thing, that he that hath begun this good work in you, will perform it until the [c]day of Jesus Christ,
7 As it becometh me so to judge of you all, because I have you in remembrance, that both in my [d]bands, and in my defense, and confirmation of the Gospel you all were partakers of my [e]grace.
8 [f]For God is my record, how I long after you all from the very heart root in Jesus Christ.
9 [g]And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment,
10 That ye may allow those things which are best, that ye may be pure, and without offense, until the day of Christ,
11 Filled with the [h]fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God.
12 ¶ [i]I would ye understood, brethren, that the things which have come unto me, are turned rather to the furthering of the Gospel,
13 So that my bands [j]in Christ are famous throughout all the [k]judgment hall, and in all other places.
14 Insomuch that many of the brethren in the Lord are boldened through my bands, and dare more frankly speak the [l]Word.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.