Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
23 (A)The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
And He (B)delights in his way.
24 When (C)he falls, he will not be hurled headlong,
Because (D)the Lord is the One [a]who holds his hand.
25 I have been young and now I am old,
Yet (E)I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or (F)his [b]descendants begging bread.
26 All day long (G)he is gracious and lends,
And (H)his [c]descendants are a blessing.
27 (I)Depart from evil and do good,
[d]So you will abide (J)forever.
28 For the Lord (K)loves [e]justice
And (L)does not forsake His godly ones;
They are (M)preserved forever,
But the [f](N)descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
29 The righteous will (O)inherit the land
And (P)dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous (Q)utters wisdom,
And his tongue (R)speaks justice.
31 The (S)law of his God is in his heart;
His (T)steps do not slip.
32 The (U)wicked spies upon the righteous
And (V)seeks to kill him.
33 The Lord will (W)not leave him in his hand
Or (X)let him be condemned when he is judged.
34 (Y)Wait for the Lord and keep His way,
And He will exalt you to inherit the land;
When the (Z)wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have (AA)seen a wicked, violent man
Spreading himself like a (AB)luxuriant [g]tree in its native soil.
36 Then [h]he passed away, and lo, he (AC)was no more;
I sought for him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the [i](AD)blameless man, and behold the (AE)upright;
For the man of peace will have a [j](AF)posterity.
38 But transgressors will be altogether (AG)destroyed;
The [k]posterity of the wicked will be (AH)cut off.
39 But the (AI)salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength (AJ)in time of trouble.
40 (AK)The Lord helps them and delivers them;
He (AL)delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
Because they (AM)take refuge in Him.
Israel Demands a King
8 And it came about when Samuel was old that (A)he appointed his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in (B)Beersheba. 3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and (C)took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at (D)Ramah; 5 and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now (E)appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing was [a](F)displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And (G)Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for (H)they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; (I)however, you shall solemnly [b]warn them and tell them of (J)the [c]procedure of the king who will reign over them.”
Warning concerning a King
10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to (K)the people who had asked of him a king. 11 He said, “(L)This will be the [d]procedure of the king who will reign over you: (M)he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and (N)they will run before his chariots. 12 (O)He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to [e]do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 (P)He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and [f]use them for his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. 18 Then (Q)you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but (R)the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
The Peril of Falling Away
6 Therefore (A)leaving (B)the [a]elementary teaching about the [b]Christ, let us press on to [c](C)maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from (D)dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of (E)instruction about washings and (F)laying on of hands, and the (G)resurrection of the dead and (H)eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do, (I)if God permits. 4 For in the case of those who have once been (J)enlightened and have tasted of (K)the heavenly gift and have been made (L)partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and (M)have tasted the good (N)word of God and the powers of (O)the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is (P)impossible to renew them again to repentance, [d](Q)since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often [e]falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those (R)for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and (S)close [f]to being cursed, and [g]it ends up being burned.
Better Things for You
9 But, (T)beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that [h]accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. 10 For (U)God is not unjust so as to forget (V)your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having (W)ministered and in still ministering to the [i]saints. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence [j]so as to realize the (X)full assurance of (Y)hope until the end, 12 so that you will not be sluggish, but (Z)imitators of those who through (AA)faith and patience (AB)inherit the promises.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.