Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

²³ The steps of a man are established by Jehovah, and he delighteth in his way:

²⁴ though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for Jehovah upholdeth his hand.

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread:

²⁶ all the day he is gracious and lendeth, and his seed shall be a blessing.

²⁷ Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell for evermore;

²⁸ for Jehovah loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: They are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.

²⁹ The righteous shall possess the land, and dwell therein for ever.

³⁰ The mouth of the righteous proffereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh judgment;

³¹ the law of his God is in his heart; his goings shall not slide.

³² The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him:

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

³⁴ Wait for Jehovah, and keep his way, and he will exalt thee to possess the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see [it].

³⁵ I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading like a green tree in its native soil:

³⁶ but he passed away, and behold, he was not; and I sought him, but he was not found.

³⁷ Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of [that] man is peace;

³⁸ but the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.

³⁹ But the salvation of the righteous is of Jehovah: he is their strength in the time of trouble.

⁴⁰ And Jehovah will help them and deliver them: he will deliver them from the wicked, and save them; for they trust in him.

¹⁷ And Samuel called the people together to Jehovah to Mizpah.

¹⁸ And he said to the children of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, *I* brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you;

¹⁹ but *ye* have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your troubles, and have said unto him, [Nay,] but a king shalt thou set over us. Now therefore present yourselves before Jehovah by your tribes, and by your thousands.

²⁰ And Samuel caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

²¹ And he caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, and the family of Matri was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken. And they sought him, but he was not to be found.

²² Therefore they inquired of Jehovah further, Will the man yet come hither? And Jehovah answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the baggage.

²³ And they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom Jehovah has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted and said, May the king live.

²⁵ And Samuel told the people the right of the kingdom, and wrote it in the book, and laid it before Jehovah. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

¹³ For God, having promised to Abraham, since he had no greater to swear by, swore by himself,

¹⁴ saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee;

¹⁵ and thus, having had long patience, he got the promise.

¹⁶ For men indeed swear by a greater, and with them the oath is a term to all dispute, as making matters sure.

¹⁷ Wherein God, willing to shew more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of his purpose, intervened by an oath,

¹⁸ that by two unchangeable things, in which [it was] impossible that God should lie, we might have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us,

¹⁹ which we have as anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into that within the veil,

²⁰ where Jesus is entered as forerunner for us, become for ever a high priest according to the order of Melchisedec.