Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help.[a]
16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth.[b]
17 The godly[c] cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles.[d]
18 The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he delivers[e] those who are discouraged.[f]
19 The godly[g] face many dangers,[h]
but the Lord saves[i] them[j] from each one of them.
20 He protects[k] all his bones;[l]
not one of them is broken.[m]
21 Evil people self-destruct;[n]
those who hate the godly are punished.[o]
22 The Lord rescues his servants;[p]
all who take shelter in him escape punishment.[q]
21 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders[a] of the Israelite clans: 22 “El, God, the Lord![b] El, God, the Lord! He knows the truth![c] Israel must also know! If we have rebelled or disobeyed the Lord,[d] don’t spare us[e] today! 23 If we have built[f] an altar for ourselves to turn back from following the Lord by making[g] burnt sacrifices and grain offerings on it, or by offering[h] tokens of peace[i] on it, the Lord himself will punish us.[j] 24 We swear we have done this because we were worried that[k] in the future your descendants would say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel?[l] 25 The Lord made the Jordan a boundary between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no right to worship the Lord.’[m] In this way your descendants might cause our descendants to stop obeying[n] the Lord. 26 So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, 27 but as a reminder to us and you[o] and our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence[p] with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace.[q] Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’[r] 28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing[s] to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors[t] made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’[u] 29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord by turning back today from following after the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace[v] aside from the altar of the Lord our God located in front of his dwelling place!”[w]
30 When Phinehas the priest and the community leaders and Israel’s clan leaders who accompanied him heard the defense of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassehites,[x] they were satisfied.[y] 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the Manassehites,[z] “Today we know that the Lord is among us, because you have not disobeyed the Lord in this.[aa] Now[ab] you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord’s judgment.”[ac]
32 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders left the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead and reported back to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.[ad] 33 The Israelites were satisfied with their report and gave thanks to God.[ae] They said nothing more about launching an attack to destroy the land in which the Reubenites and Gadites lived.[af] 34 The Reubenites and Gadites named the altar, “Surely it is a Reminder to us[ag] that the Lord is God.”
5 Then[a] he said to them, “Suppose one of you[b] has a friend, and you go to him[c] at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,[d] 6 because a friend of mine has stopped here while on a journey,[e] and I have nothing to set before[f] him.’ 7 Then[g] he will reply[h] from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed.[i] I cannot get up and give you anything.’[j] 8 I tell you, even though the man inside[k] will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of the first man’s[l] sheer persistence[m] he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 “So[n] I tell you: Ask,[o] and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door[p] will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks[q] receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door[r] will be opened. 11 What father among you, if your[s] son asks for[t] a fish, will give him a snake[u] instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?[v] 13 If you then, although you are[w] evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit[x] to those who ask him!”
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