Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
23 From Jehovah [are] the steps of a man, They have been prepared, And his way he desireth.
24 When he falleth, he is not cast down, For Jehovah is sustaining his hand.
25 Young I have been, I have also become old, And I have not seen the righteous forsaken, And his seed seeking bread.
26 All the day he is gracious and lending, And his seed [is] for a blessing.
27 Turn aside from evil, and do good, and dwell to the age.
28 For Jehovah is loving judgment, And He doth not forsake His saintly ones, To the age they have been kept, And the seed of the wicked is cut off.
29 The righteous possess the land, And they dwell for ever on it.
30 The mouth of the righteous uttereth wisdom, And his tongue speaketh judgment.
31 The law of his God [is] his heart, His steps do not slide.
32 The wicked is watching for the righteous, And is seeking to put him to death.
33 Jehovah doth not leave him in his hand, Nor condemn him in his being judged.
34 Look unto Jehovah, and keep His way, And He doth exalt thee to possess the land, In the wicked being cut off -- thou seest!
35 I have seen the wicked terrible, And spreading as a green native plant,
36 And he passeth away, and lo, he is not, And I seek him, and he is not found!
37 Observe the perfect, and see the upright, For the latter end of each [is] peace.
38 And transgressors were destroyed together, The latter end of the wicked was cut off.
39 And the salvation of the righteous [is] from Jehovah, Their strong place in a time of adversity.
40 And Jehovah doth help them and deliver them, He delivereth them from the wicked, And saveth them, Because they trusted in Him!
8 And it cometh to pass, when Samuel [is] aged, that he maketh his sons judges over Israel.
2 And the name of his first-born son is Joel, and the name of his second Abiah, judges in Beer-Sheba:
3 and his sons have not walked in his ways, and turn aside after the dishonest gain, and take a bribe, and turn aside judgment.
4 And all the elders of Israel gather themselves together, and come in unto Samuel to Ramath,
5 and say unto him, `Lo, thou hast become aged, and thy sons have not walked in thy ways; now, appoint to us a king, to judge us, like all the nations.'
6 And the thing is evil in the eyes of Samuel, when they have said, `Give to us a king to judge us;' and Samuel prayeth unto Jehovah.
7 And Jehovah saith unto Samuel, `Hearken to the voice of the people, to all that they say unto thee, for thee they have not rejected, but Me they have rejected, from reigning over them.
8 According to all the works that they have done from the day of My bringing them up out of Egypt, even unto this day, when they forsake Me, and serve other gods -- so they are doing also to thee.
9 And now, hearken to their voice; only, surely thou dost certainly protest to them, and hast declared to them the custom of the king who doth reign over them.'
10 And Samuel speaketh all the words of Jehovah unto the people who are asking from him a king,
11 and saith, `This is the custom of the king who doth reign over you: Your sons he doth take, and hath appointed for himself among his chariots, and among his horsemen, and they have run before his chariots;
12 also to appoint for himself heads of thousands, and heads of fifties; also to plow his plowing, and to reap his reaping; and to make instruments of his war, and instruments of his charioteer.
13 `And your daughters he doth take for perfumers, and for cooks, and for bakers;
14 and your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards -- the best -- he doth take, and hath given to his servants.
15 And your seed and your vineyards he doth tithe, and hath given to his eunuchs, and to his servants.
16 And your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your young men -- the best, and your asses, he doth take, and hath prepared for his own work;
17 your flock he doth tithe, and ye are to him for servants.
18 And ye have cried out in that day because of the king whom ye have chosen for yourselves, and Jehovah doth not answer you in that day.'
6 Wherefore, having left the word of the beginning of the Christ, unto the perfection we may advance, not again a foundation laying of reformation from dead works, and of faith on God,
2 of the teaching of baptisms, of laying on also of hands, of rising again also of the dead, and of judgment age-during,
3 and this we will do, if God may permit,
4 for [it is] impossible for those once enlightened, having tasted also of the heavenly gift, and partakers having became of the Holy Spirit,
5 and did taste the good saying of God, the powers also of the coming age,
6 and having fallen away, again to renew [them] to reformation, having crucified again to themselves the Son of God, and exposed to public shame.
7 For earth, that is drinking in the rain many times coming upon it, and is bringing forth herbs fit for those because of whom also it is dressed, doth partake of blessing from God,
8 and that which is bearing thorns and briers [is] disapproved of, and nigh to cursing, whose end [is] for burning;
9 and we are persuaded, concerning you, beloved, the things that are better, and accompanying salvation, though even thus we speak,
10 for God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the labour of the love, that ye shewed to His name, having ministered to the saints and ministering;
11 and we desire each one of you the same diligence to shew, unto the full assurance of the hope unto the end,
12 that ye may not become slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patient endurance are inheriting the promises.