Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

74 O God, why hast Thou cast us off for ever? Why doth Thine anger smoke against the sheep of Thy pasture?

² Remember Thy congregation, which Thou hast purchased of old, the rod of Thine inheritance, which Thou hast redeemed, this Mount Zion, wherein Thou hast dwelt.

³ Lift up Thy feet unto the perpetual desolations, even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.

⁴ Thine enemies roar in the midst of Thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.

⁵ Once a man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees,

⁶ but now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and hammers.

⁷ They have cast fire into Thy sanctuary; they have defiled by casting down to the ground the dwelling place of Thy name.

⁸ They said in their hearts, “Let us destroy them together!” They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.

⁹ We see not our signs; there is no more any prophet; neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

¹⁰ O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme Thy name for ever?

¹¹ Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand, even Thy right hand? Pluck it out of Thy bosom!

¹² For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

¹³ Thou didst divide the sea by Thy strength; Thou breakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

¹⁴ Thou breakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

¹⁵ Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood; Thou driedst up mighty rivers.

¹⁶ The day is Thine, the night also is Thine; Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

¹⁷ Thou hast set all the borders of the earth; Thou hast made summer and winter.

¹⁸ Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed Thy name.

¹⁹ O deliver not the soul of Thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked; forget not the congregation of Thy poor for ever.

²⁰ Have respect unto the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.

²¹ O let not the oppressed return ashamed; let the poor and needy praise Thy name.

²² Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause; remember how the foolish man reproacheth Thee daily.

²³ Forget not the voice of Thine enemies; the tumult of those that rise up against Thee increaseth continually.

¹⁴ But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.

¹⁵ And Saul’s servants said unto him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

¹⁶ Let our lord now command thy servants, who are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.”

¹⁷ And Saul said unto his servants, “Provide me now a man whocan play well, and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ Then answered one of the servants and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.”

¹⁹ Therefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse and said, “Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep.”

²⁰ And Jesse took an ass laden with bread and a bottle of wine and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.

²¹ And David came to Saul and stood before him; and he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer.

²² And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David, I pray thee, stand before me, for he hath found favor in my sight.”

²³ And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

20 And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

² And he laid hold on the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

³ And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season.

⁴ And I saw thrones and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, nor his image, nor had received his mark upon their foreheads or on their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

⁵ But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

⁶ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.