Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Davidic Psalm, when he fled from his son Absalom.
God Delivers His Servants
3 Lord, I have so many persecutors!
Many are rising up against me!
2 Many are saying about me,
“God will never deliver him!”
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud[a] to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep,
I wake up, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear multitudes of[b] people,
who set themselves against me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
For you strike the jaw of all my enemies,
and you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance comes from the Lord!
May your blessing be on your people.
5 Moreover, just as wine leads astray the proud and powerful man,
he[a] remains restless;
he[b] has expanded his appetite—
like the afterlife[c] or death itself, he[d] is never satisfied.
He[e] gathers to himself all of the nations,
taking captive all of the people for himself.”
Judgment on the Plunderer of Nations
6 “Will not all of these ridicule him
with mocking scorn? They will say,
‘Woe to the one who hordes for himself what isn’t his.
How long will you enrich yourself by extortion?’[f]
7 Won’t your creditors revolt unexpectedly?
Won’t those who make you tremble wake up?
As a result, you’ll become their prey!
8 Because you plundered many nations,
all of their remnants will plunder you.
Human blood has been shed,[g]
and violence has been done to[h] the land,
to the city, and to all who live in it.”
Judgment on Those who Think They are Safe
9 “Woe to the one who amasses profit upon unjust profit
in order to establish his household,
so he can establish a secure place[i] on the heights
and escape from the power of evil.
10 You have brought shame to yourself[j] by killing many people—
you are forfeiting your own life.
11 Indeed, the stone will cry out from the wall
and the rafter will respond from the woodwork.”
Faith Overcomes the World
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah[a] has been born from God, and everyone who loves the parent also loves the child. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children: we love God and keep his commandments. 3 For this demonstrates our love for God: We keep his commandments, and his commandments are not difficult, 4 because everyone who is born from God has overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world. 5 Who overcomes the world? Is it not the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Conclusion
13 I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him: if we ask for anything according to his will, he listens to us. 15 And if we know that he listens to our requests, we can be sure that we have what we ask him for.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray that God[a] would give him life. This applies to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not telling you to pray about that. 17 Every kind of wrongdoing is sin, yet there are sins that do not lead to death.
18 We know that the person who has been born from God does not go on sinning. Rather, the Son[b] of God protects them, and the evil one cannot harm them. 19 We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies under the control of the evil one. 20 We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God.[c] We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus the Messiah,[d] who is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves away from idols.[e]
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