Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

82 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; He judgeth among the gods.

² How long will ye judge unjustly and accept persons of the wicked? Selah

³ Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.

⁴ Deliver the poor and needy; rescue them out of the hand of the wicked.

⁵ They know not, neither will they understand. They walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

⁶ I have said, “Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.”

⁷ But ye shall die like men and fall like one of the princes.

⁸ Arise, O God, judge the earth, for Thou shalt inherit all nations.

5 And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

² When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.

³ And when those of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon and set him in his place again.

⁴ And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

⁵ Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

⁶ But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon those of Ashdod, and He destroyed them and smote them with hemorrhoids, even Ashdod and the borders thereof.

⁷ And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us, for his hand is sore upon us and upon Dagon our god.”

⁸ They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath.” And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.

⁹ And it was so that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction; and He smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had hemorrhoids in their secret parts.

¹⁰ Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us to slay us and our people.”

¹¹ So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

¹² And the men who died not were smitten with the hemorrhoids; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

³² But call to remembrance the former days in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions,

³³ partly while ye were being made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly while ye became companions of those who were so used.

³⁴ For ye had compassion on me in my bonds and took joyfully the despoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance.

³⁵ Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.

³⁶ For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

³⁷ “For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

³⁸ Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

³⁹ But we are not of those who draw back unto perdition, but of those who believe, to the saving of the soul.