Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Psalm of David, Maschil.

¹ ¶ Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

² Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile.

³ When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

⁴ For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my green growth is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

⁵ I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and I have not hid my iniquity. I said, I will confess (against myself) my rebellions unto the LORD, and thou shalt forgive the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

⁶ For this shall every one that is merciful pray unto thee in the time when thou may be found; surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come near unto him.

⁷ ¶ Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

⁸ I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will fix mine eyes upon thee.

⁹ Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in subjection with bit and bridle, or they will not come near unto thee.

¹⁰ There are many sorrows for the wicked; but he that waits in the LORD, mercy shall compass him round about.

¹¹ Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, ye righteous, and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

²³ And it came to pass after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.

²⁴ And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold now, thy slave has sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his slaves go with thy slave.

²⁵ And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go lest we be burdensome unto thee. And he pressed him; however, he would not go but blessed him.

²⁶ Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?

²⁷ But because Absalom pressed him, he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.

²⁸ Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon, then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous, and be valiant.

²⁹ And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and they all got upon their mules and fled.

³⁰ ¶ And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the rumour came to David, saying, Absalom has slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.

³¹ Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth; and all his slaves stood by with their clothes rent.

³² And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, Do not let my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead, for by the mouth of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.

³³ Now, therefore, do not let my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead, for only Amnon is dead.

³⁴ But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there came many people by the way of the side of the mountain behind him.

³⁵ And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king’s sons come; as thy slave said, so it is.

³⁶ And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his slaves wept very sore.

³⁷ But Absalom fled and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.

³⁸ So after Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he was there three years.

³⁹ And King David longed to see Absalom, for he was now comforted concerning Amnon, who was dead.

4 ¶ Where do the wars and disputes come from among you? Is it not from here, that is to say, of your lusts which fight in your members?

² Ye covet and have not; ye murder, and have envy and cannot obtain; ye fight and war and have not that which ye desire because ye ask not.

³ Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your pleasures.

⁴ Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore that desires to be a friend of the world, makes himself the enemy of God.

⁵ Do ye think that the scripture says in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?

⁶ But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.

⁷ Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.