Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord Upholds My Life
To the choirmaster: with (A)stringed instruments. A Maskil[a] of David, (B)when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
54 O God, save me by your (C)name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, (D)hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 (E)For (F)strangers[b] have risen against me;
ruthless men (G)seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves. Selah
4 Behold, (H)God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your (I)faithfulness (J)put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, (K)for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has (L)looked in triumph on my enemies.
Midian Oppresses Israel
6 (A)The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of (B)Midian for seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and (C)the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and (D)the Amalekites and (E)the people of the East would come up against them. 4 They would encamp against them (F)and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come (G)like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel (H)cried out for help to the Lord.
7 When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (I)I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and (J)drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; (K)you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”
Proclaiming Christ Crucified
2 And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a] (A)did not come proclaiming to you (B)the testimony[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except (C)Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And (D)I was with you (E)in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of (F)the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but (G)in the power of God.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.