Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (A)just cause, Lord, (B)give Your attention to my cry;
(C)Listen to my prayer, which is not from (D)deceitful lips.
2 Let (E)my [a]judgment come forth from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look with (F)integrity.
3 You have (G)put my heart to the test;
You have visited me by night;
You have (H)sifted me and (I)You find [b]nothing;
My (J)intent is that my mouth will not offend.
4 As for the works of mankind, (K)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (L)ways of the violent.
5 My (M)steps have held to Your [c]paths.
My (N)feet have not slipped.
6 I have (O)called upon You, for You will answer me, God;
(P)Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
7 (Q)Show Your wonderful faithfulness,
(R)Savior of those who take refuge [d]at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as [e]the (S)apple of the eye;
Hide me (T)in the shadow of Your wings
9 From the (U)wicked who deal violently with me,
My (V)deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have (W)closed their [f]unfeeling hearts,
With their mouths they (X)speak proudly.
11 They have now (Y)surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes (Z)to cast us down to the ground.
12 He is (AA)like a lion that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion (AB)lurking in secret places.
13 (AC)Arise, Lord, confront him, (AD)make him bow down;
(AE)Save my soul from the wicked with (AF)Your sword,
14 From people by (AG)Your hand, Lord,
From people [g]of the world, (AH)whose portion is in this life,
And whose belly You (AI)fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And leave their abundance to their babies.
15 As for me, I shall (AJ)behold Your face in righteousness;
(AK)I shall be satisfied with Your (AL)likeness when I awake.
Census Brings Plague
21 (A)Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “(B)Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me word so that I may know their number.” 3 But Joab said, “(C)May the Lord add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” 4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5 Then Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David. (D)Israel was 1,100,000 men in all who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword. 6 (E)But he did not [a]count Levi and Benjamin among them, because the king’s [b]command was abhorrent to Joab.
7 Now [c]God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel. 8 David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, [d]by doing this thing. (F)But now, please overlook Your servant’s guilt, for I have behaved very foolishly.”
9 The Lord spoke to (G)Gad, David’s (H)seer, saying, 10 “Go and speak to David, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I extend to you three choices; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”’” 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take for yourself 12 (I)three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord: a plague in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout the territory of Israel.’ Now, therefore, consider what answer I shall bring back to Him who sent me.” 13 David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, (J)for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into human hands.”
14 (K)So the Lord [e]sent a plague on Israel; seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw and (L)was sorry about the catastrophe, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now relax your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of [f]Ornan the Jebusite. 16 Then David raised his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, (M)covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 And David said to God, “Is it not I who [g]commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly, (N)but these sheep, what have they done? Lord, my God, just let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, and not against Your people as a plague.”
Christ Is Our Advocate
2 (A)My little children, I am (B)writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, (C)we have an [a](D)Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is (E)the [b]propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also (F)for the sins of the whole world.
3 (G)By this we know that we have come to (H)know Him, if we (I)keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “(J)I have come to (K)know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a (L)liar, and (M)the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever (N)follows His word, in him the (O)love of God has truly been perfected. (P)By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says that he (Q)remains in Him (R)ought, himself also, walk just as He walked.
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