Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous; and His ears are open to their cry.

¹⁶ The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off their remembrance from the Earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸ The LORD is near to those who are of a contrite heart; and will save such as are afflicted in spirit.

¹⁹ Great are the troubles of the righteous. But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

²⁰ He keeps all His bones. Not one of them is broken.

²¹ Malice shall slay the wicked; and those who hate the righteous shall perish.

²² The LORD redeems the souls of His servants; and no one who trusts in Him shall perish. A Psalm of David.

²¹ Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh answered and said to the heads over the thousands of Israel,

²² “The LORD, God of gods, the LORD, God of gods! He knows and Israel himself shall know! If by rebellion, or by transgression against the LORD, do not save us this day!

²³ “If we have built ourselves an altar to turn away from the LORD, either to offer burnt offering on it, or meat offering, or to offer peace offerings on it, let the LORD Himself require it!

²⁴ “But rather, we have done it out of fear, saying, ‘In time to come, your children might say to our children, “What have you to do with the LORD God of Israel?”’

²⁵ “For the LORD has made Jordan a border between us and you, you children of Reuben and of Gad. Therefore, you have no part in the LORD. So shall your children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.

²⁶ “Therefore we said, ‘We will now go about to make ourselves an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice,

²⁷ ‘but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, to execute the service of the LORD before Him, in our Burnt Offerings and in our Sacrifices and in our Peace Offerings, and so that your children would not say to our children in time to come, “You have no part in the LORD.”’

²⁸ “Therefore we said, ‘If so be that they should so say to us or to our generations in time to come, then will we answer, “Behold, the fashion of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made not for burnt offering or for sacrifice, but it is a witness between us and you.

²⁹ “Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away from the LORD this day, to build an altar for burnt offering, for meat offering, or for sacrifice, except the Altar of the LORD our God that is before His Tabernacle.”’”

³⁰ And when Phinehas the Priest and the princes of the Congregation, and heads over the thousands of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben and children of Gad and the children of Manasseh spoke, they were well content.

³¹ And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the Priest, said to the children of Reuben and to the children of Gad and to the children of Manasseh, “This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because you have not done this trespass against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD.”

³² Then, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the Priest, with the princes, returned from the children of Reuben and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, to the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought them answer.

³³ And the saying pleased the children of Israel. And the children of Israel blessed God and did not mind to go against them in battle, to destroy the land in which the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.

³⁴ Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar: Witness. “For it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.”

⁵ Moreover He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves.

⁶ ‘For a friend of mine has come out of the way to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

⁷ “And the one inside answers, and says, ‘Do not trouble me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give them to you!’

⁸ “I say to you that though he would not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet he would undoubtedly rise and give him as many as he needed because of his persistence.

⁹ “And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you.

¹⁰ “For everyone who asks, receives. And the one who seeks, finds. And to the one who knocks, it shall be opened.

¹¹ “If a son shall ask for bread from any of you who is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead?

¹² “Or if he asks for an egg, will he give him a scorpion?

¹³ “If you, then, who are evil, can give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to those who desire Him?