Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Mem

²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and he delights in his way.

²⁴ Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

Nun

²⁵ I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

²⁶ He is ever merciful and lends, and his seed is a blessing.

Samech

²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good, and thou shalt live for evermore.

²⁸ For the LORD loves uprightness and does not forsake his merciful ones; they are preserved for ever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

Ain

²⁹ The righteous shall inherit the earth and live upon it for ever.

Pe

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue brings forth judgment.

³¹ The law of his God is in his heart; therefore none of his steps shall slide.

Tzaddi

³² The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him.

³³ The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.

Koph

³⁴ ¶ Wait on the LORD and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the earth; when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

Resh

³⁵ I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree.

³⁶ Yet he passed away, and, behold, he was not: I sought him, but he could not be found.

Schin

³⁷ Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of each one of them is peace.

³⁸ But the rebels were destroyed all together; the wicked were cut off in the end.

Tau

³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is the LORD; he is their strength in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰ And the LORD helped them and delivers them; he shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they wait in him.

8 ¶ And it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.

² Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abiah; they were judges in Beersheba.

³ And his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after greed, receiving bribes and perverting that which is right.

⁴ ¶ Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel in Ramah

⁵ and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons do not walk in thy ways; therefore make us a king to judge us like all the Gentiles.

⁶ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

⁷ And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them.

⁸ According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, with which they have forsaken me and served other gods, so they also do unto thee.

⁹ Now, therefore, hearken unto their voice; however first protest solemnly against them by declaring unto them the rights of the king that shall reign over them.

¹⁰ And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked him for a king.

¹¹ And he said, This will be the right of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before his chariot.

¹² And he will appoint captains over thousands and captains over fifties and will set them to plough his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and the munitions of his chariots.

¹³ And he will take your daughters to be confectioneries and to be cooks and to be bakers.

¹⁴ And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your good oliveyards and give them to his slaves.

¹⁵ And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards to give to his officers and to his slaves.

¹⁶ And he will take your menslaves and your maidslaves and your good young men and your asses and do his work with them.

¹⁷ He will also take the tenth of your sheep, and finally ye shall be his slaves.

¹⁸ And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

6 ¶ Therefore, leaving now the word of the beginning of the establishment of the Christ, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from works of death, and of faith in God,

² of the doctrine of the baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

³ And this we will indeed do, if God permits.

⁴ For it is impossible that those who once received the light and tasted of that heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit

⁵ and likewise have tasted the good word of God and the virtue of the age to come,

⁶ and have backslidden, be renewed again by repentance, crucifying again for themselves the Son of God and putting him to an open shame.

⁷ For the earth which drinks in the rain that comes often upon it and brings forth herbs in season for those by whom it is dressed receives blessing from God;

⁸ but that which bears thorns and briers is rejected and is near unto cursing, whose end shall be by fire.

⁹ ¶ But, beloved, we expect better things than these of you, things near unto saving health, though we thus speak.

¹⁰ For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of charity which ye have showed in his name, having helped the saints and helping them.

¹¹ But we desire that each one of you show the same diligence until the end for the fulfillment of your hope,

¹² that ye not become slothful, but imitators of those who by faith and patience inherit the promises.