Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
10 I said, “I’m enjoying the best years of my life.
Must I now go through the gates of death?
Will the rest of my years be taken away from me?”
11 I said, “Lord, I’ll never see you again
while I’m still alive.
I’ll never see people anymore.
I’ll never again be with those who live in this world.
12 My body is like a shepherd’s tent.
It has been pulled down and carried off.
My life is like a piece of cloth that I’ve rolled up.
You have cut it off from the loom.
In a short period of time you have brought my life to an end.
13 I waited patiently until sunrise.
But like a lion you broke all my bones.
In a short period of time you have brought my life to an end.
14 I cried softly like a weak little bird.
I sounded like a dove as I mourned.
My eyes grew tired as I looked up toward heaven.
Lord, my life is in danger. Please come and help me!
15 “But what can I say?
You have promised to heal me.
And you yourself have done it.
Once I was proud and bitter.
But now I will live the rest of my life free of pride.
16 Lord, people find the will to live because you keep your promises.
And my spirit also finds life in your promises.
You brought me back to health.
You let me live.
17 I’m sure it was for my benefit
that I suffered such great pain.
You love me. You kept me
from going down into the pit of death.
You have put all my sins
behind your back.
18 People in the grave can’t praise you.
Dead people can’t sing praise to you.
Those who go down to the grave
can’t hope for you to be faithful to them.
19 It is those who are alive who praise you.
And that’s what I’m doing today.
Parents tell their children
about how faithful you are.
20 “The Lord will save me.
So we will sing and play music on stringed instruments.
We will sing all the days of our lives
in the Lord’s temple.”
9 The Philistines went up and camped in Judah. They spread out near Lehi. 10 The people of Judah asked, “Why have you come to fight against us?”
“We’ve come to take Samson as our prisoner,” they answered. “We want to do to him what he did to us.”
11 Then 3,000 men from Judah went to get Samson. They went down to the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson, “Don’t you realize the Philistines are ruling over us? What have you done to us?”
Samson answered, “I only did to them what they did to me.”
12 The men of Judah said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up. We’re going to hand you over to the Philistines.”
Samson said, “Promise me you won’t kill me yourselves.”
13 “We agree,” they answered. “We’ll only tie you up and hand you over to them. We won’t kill you.” So they tied him up with two new ropes. They led him up from the rock. 14 Samson approached Lehi. The Philistines came toward him shouting. Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on Samson. The ropes on his arms became like burned thread. They dropped off his hands. 15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey. He grabbed it and struck down 1,000 men.
16 Then Samson said,
“By using a donkey’s jawbone
I’ve made them look like donkeys.
By using a donkey’s jawbone
I’ve struck down 1,000 men.”
17 Samson finished speaking. Then he threw the jawbone away. That’s why the place was called Ramath Lehi.
18 Samson was very thirsty. So he cried out to the Lord. He said, “You have helped me win this great battle. Do I have to die of thirst now? Must I fall into the power of people who haven’t even been circumcised? They aren’t your people.” 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi. Water came out of it. When Samson drank the water, his strength returned. He felt as good as new. So the spring was called En Hakkore. It’s still there in Lehi.
20 Samson led Israel for 20 years. In those days the Philistines were in the land.
Jesus Heals a Boy Who Is Controlled by a Demon
14 When they came near the crowd, a man approached Jesus. He got on his knees in front of him. 15 “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son. He shakes wildly and suffers a great deal. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples. But they couldn’t heal him.”
17 “You unbelieving and evil people!” Jesus replied. “How long do I have to stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus ordered the demon to leave the boy, and it came out of him. He was healed at that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private. They asked, “Why couldn’t we drive out the demon?”
20-21 He replied, “Because your faith is much too small. What I’m about to tell you is true. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, it is enough. You can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
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