Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, Lord, I call;
My (A)rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You (B)are silent to me,
I will become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 Hear the (D)sound of my pleadings when I cry to You for help,
When I (E)raise my hands (F)toward [a]Your holy (G)sanctuary.
3 (H)Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who practice injustice,
Who (I)speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Give back to them (J)according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Give back to them according to the work of their hands;
Repay them what is due them.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He (L)has heard the sound of my pleading.
7 The Lord is my (M)strength and my (N)shield;
My heart (O)trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore (P)my heart triumphs,
And with (Q)my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [b]their (R)strength,
And He is a refuge of (S)salvation to His anointed.
9 (T)Save Your people and bless (U)Your inheritance;
Be their (V)shepherd also, and (W)carry them forever.
23 Now the governors of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to (A)Dagon their god, and to celebrate, for they said,
“Our god has handed Samson our enemy over to us.”
24 When the people saw him, (B)they praised their god, for they said,
“Our god has handed our enemy over to us,
Even the destroyer of our country,
Who has killed many of us.”
25 It so happened when [a]they were in high spirits, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may amuse us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he [b]entertained them. And they made him stand between the pillars. 26 Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, “[c]Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, so that I may lean against them.” 27 Now the house was full of men and women, and all the governors of the Philistines were there. And about three thousand men and women were on the roof looking on while Samson was entertaining them.
Samson Is Avenged
28 (C)Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “Lord [d]God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once (D)take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. 30 And Samson said, “Let [e]me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed outwards powerfully, so that the house fell on the governors and all the people who were in it. And the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed during his lifetime. 31 Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. (E)So he had judged Israel for twenty years.
2 (A)And they brought to Him a (B)paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “(C)Take courage, [a]son; (D)your sins are forgiven.” 3 And some of the scribes said [b]to themselves, “This man is (E)blaspheming!” 4 And Jesus, (F)perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘(G)Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that (H)the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He *said to the (I)paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.” 7 And he got up and [c]went home. 8 But when the crowds saw this, they were [d]awestruck, and they (J)glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.