Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Do Not Destroy. A ^(B)Miktam^[a] of David, when he fled from Saul, in ^(C)the cave.

²³ When Abigail saw David, she hurried ^(A)and got down from the donkey ^(B)and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. ²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, ^(C)“On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. ²⁵ Let not my lord regard ^(D)this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal^[a] is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. ²⁶ Now then, my lord, ^(E)as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because ^(F)the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from ^(G)saving with your own hand, now then ^(H)let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. ²⁷ And now let this ^(I)present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. ²⁸ Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord ^(J)a sure house, because my lord ^(K)is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. ²⁹ If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies ^(L)he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. ³⁰ And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel, ³¹ my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord ^(M)taking vengeance himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”

³² And David said to Abigail, ^(N)“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! ³³ Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, ^(O)who have kept me this day from bloodguilt ^(P)and from avenging myself with my own hand! ³⁴ For as surely ^(Q)as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, ^(R)who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” ³⁵ Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, ^(S)“Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

Patience in Suffering

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brothers,^[a] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives ^(A)the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. ^(B)Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord ^(C)is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, ^(D)so that you may not be judged; behold, ^(E)the Judge is standing ^(F)at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take ^(G)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of ^(H)the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen ^(I)the purpose of the Lord, how ^(J)the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brothers, ^(K)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.