Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 142[a]
A well-written song[b] by David, when he was in the cave;[c] a prayer.
142 To the Lord I cry out;[d]
to the Lord I plead for mercy.[e]
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about[f] my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,[g]
you watch my footsteps.[h]
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.[i]
I have nowhere to run;[j]
no one is concerned about my life.[k]
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security[l] in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.[m]
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me[n] from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,[o]
for you will vindicate me.[p]
Death is Imminent
5 Listen to this funeral song I am ready to sing about you,[a] family[b] of Israel:
2 “The virgin[c] Israel has fallen down and will not get up again.
She is abandoned on her own land
with no one to help her get up.”[d]
3 The Sovereign Lord says this:
“The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers[e] will have only a hundred left;
the town[f] that marches out with a hundred soldiers[g] will have only ten left for the family of Israel.”[h]
4 The Lord says this to the family[i] of Israel:
“Seek me[j] so you can live!
5 Do not seek Bethel.[k]
Do not visit Gilgal.
Do not journey down[l] to Beer Sheba.
For the people of Gilgal[m] will certainly be carried into exile,[n]
and Bethel will become a place where disaster abounds.”[o]
6 Seek the Lord so you can live!
Otherwise he will break out[p] like fire against Joseph’s[q] family;[r]
the fire[s] will consume
and no one will be able to quench it and save Bethel.[t]
7 The Israelites[u] turn justice into bitterness;[v]
they throw what is fair and right[w] to the ground.[x]
8 But there is one who made the constellations Pleiades and Orion;
27 When the seven days were almost over,[a] the Jews from the province of Asia[b] who had seen him in the temple area[c] stirred up the whole crowd[d] and seized[e] him, 28 shouting, “Men of Israel,[f] help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law,[g] and this sanctuary![h] Furthermore[i] he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple[j] and made this holy place ritually unclean!”[k] 29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and[l] they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.)[m] 30 The whole city was stirred up,[n] and the people rushed together.[o] They seized[p] Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts,[q] and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were trying[r] to kill him, a report[s] was sent up[t] to the commanding officer[u] of the cohort[v] that all Jerusalem was in confusion.[w] 32 He[x] immediately took[y] soldiers and centurions[z] and ran down to the crowd.[aa] When they saw[ab] the commanding officer[ac] and the soldiers, they stopped beating[ad] Paul. 33 Then the commanding officer[ae] came up and arrested[af] him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains;[ag] he[ah] then asked who he was and what[ai] he had done. 34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else,[aj] and when the commanding officer[ak] was unable[al] to find out the truth[am] because of the disturbance,[an] he ordered Paul[ao] to be brought into the barracks.[ap] 35 When he came to the steps, Paul[aq] had to be carried[ar] by the soldiers because of the violence[as] of the mob, 36 for a crowd of people[at] followed them,[au] screaming, “Away with him!” 37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks,[av] he said[aw] to the commanding officer,[ax] “May I say[ay] something to you?” The officer[az] replied,[ba] “Do you know Greek?[bb] 38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion[bc] and led the 4,000 men of the ‘Assassins’[bd] into the wilderness[be] some time ago?”[bf] 39 Paul answered,[bg] “I am a Jew[bh] from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city.[bi] Please[bj] allow me to speak to the people.”
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