Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
140 1 David complaineth of the cruelty, falsehood and injuries of his enemies. 8 Against the which he prayeth unto the Lord, and assureth himself of his help and succor. 12 Wherefore he provoketh the just to praise the Lord, and to assure themselves of his tuition.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: preserve me from the [a]cruel man:
2 Which imagine evil things in their [b]heart, and make war continually.
3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: [c]adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.
4 Keep [d]me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the cruel man, which purposeth to cause my steps to slide.
5 The proud have laid a snare for me, and spread a net with cords in my pathway, and set gins for me. Selah.
6 Therefore I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God: hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayers.
7 O Lord God the strength of my salvation, thou [e]hast covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Let not the wicked have his desire, O Lord; [f]perform not his wicked thought, lest they be proud. Selah.
9 As for [g]the chief of them that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips come upon them.
10 Let coals fall upon them: let [h]him cast them into the fire, and into the deep pits that they rise not.
11 For the backbiter shall not be established upon the earth, evil shall [i]hunt the cruel man to destruction.
12 I know that the Lord will avenge the afflicted, and judge the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall praise thy Name, and the just shall [j]dwell in thy presence.
16 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hear not the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you, and teach you vanity: they speak the vision of their own [a]heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
17 They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye [b]shall have peace: and they say unto everyone that walketh after the stubbornness of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
18 For [c]who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord that he hath perceived, and heard his word? Who hath marked his word and heard it?
19 Behold, the tempest of the Lord goeth forth in his wrath, and a violent whirlwind shall fall down upon the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord shall not return until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye [d]shall understand it plainly.
21 (A)I have not sent these prophets, saith the Lord, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, and yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and [e]had declared my words to my people, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the wickedness of their inventions.
16 ¶ (A)[a]Behold, I send you as [b]sheep in the midst of the wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and [c]innocent as doves.
17 But beware of [d]men, for they will deliver you up to the Councils, and will scourge you in their Synagogues.
18 And ye shall be brought to the governors and kings for my sake, in witness to them, and to the Gentiles.
19 (B)But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour, what ye shall say.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
21 And the (C)brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son, and the children shall rise against their parents, and shall cause them to die.
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my Name: (D)but he that endureth to the end, he shall be saved.
23 And when they persecute you in this city, flee into another: for verily I say unto you, ye shall not [e]go over all the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
24 (E)The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord.
25 It is enough for the disciple to be as his master is, and the servant as his Lord. (F)If they have called the master of the house [f]Beelzebub, how much more them of his household?
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