Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

54 To the Overseer with stringed instruments. -- An instruction, by David, in the coming in of the Ziphim, and they say to Saul, `Is not David hiding himself with us?' O God, by Thy name save me, and by Thy might judge me.

² O God, hear my prayer, Give ear to the sayings of my mouth,

³ For strangers have risen up against me And terrible ones have sought my soul, They have not set God before them. Selah.

⁴ Lo, God [is] a helper to me, The Lord [is] with those supporting my soul,

⁵ Turn back doth the evil thing to mine enemies, In Thy truth cut them off.

⁶ With a free will-offering I sacrifice to Thee, I thank Thy name, O Jehovah, for [it is] good,

⁷ For, from all adversity He delivered me, And on mine enemies hath mine eye looked!

6 And the sons of Israel do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth them into the hand of Midian seven years,

² and the hand of Midian is strong against Israel, from the presence of Midian have the sons of Israel made for themselves the flowings which [are] in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

³ And it hath been, if Israel hath sowed, that Midian hath come up, and Amalek, and the sons of the east, yea, they have come up against him,

⁴ and encamp against them, and destroy the increase of the land till thine entering Gaza; and they leave no sustenance in Israel, either sheep, or ox, or ass;

⁵ for they and their cattle come up, with their tents; they come in as the fulness of the locust for multitude, and of them and of their cattle there is no number, and they come into the land to destroy it.

⁶ And Israel is very weak from the presence of Midian, and the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah.

⁷ And it cometh to pass when the sons of Israel have cried unto Jehovah, concerning Midian,

⁸ that Jehovah sendeth a man, a prophet, unto the sons of Israel, and he saith to them, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, I -- I have brought you up out of Egypt, and I bring you out from a house of servants,

⁹ and I deliver you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all your oppressors, and I cast them out from your presence, and I give to you their land,

¹⁰ and I say to you, I [am] Jehovah your God, ye do not fear the gods of the Amorite in whose land ye are dwelling: -- and ye have not hearkened to My voice.'

2 And I, having come unto you, brethren, came -- not in superiority of discourse or wisdom -- declaring to you the testimony of God,

² for I decided not to know any thing among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified;

³ and I, in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, was with you;

⁴ and my word and my preaching was not in persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power --

⁵ that your faith may not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.