Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
23 The Lord grants success to the one
whose behavior he finds commendable.[a]
24 Even if[b] he trips, he will not fall headlong,[c]
for the Lord holds[d] his hand.
25 I was once young, now I am old.
I have never seen the godly abandoned,
or their children[e] forced to search for food.[f]
26 All day long they show compassion and lend to others,[g]
and their children[h] are blessed.
27 Turn away from evil. Do what is right.[i]
Then you will enjoy lasting security.[j]
28 For the Lord promotes[k] justice,
and never abandons[l] his faithful followers.
They are permanently secure,[m]
but the children[n] of the wicked are wiped out.[o]
29 The godly will possess the land
and will dwell in it permanently.
30 The godly speak wise words
and promote justice.[p]
31 The law of their God controls their thinking;[q]
their[r] feet do not slip.
32 The wicked set an ambush for the godly
and try to kill them.[s]
33 But the Lord does not surrender the godly,
or allow them to be condemned in a court of law.[t]
34 Rely[u] on the Lord. Obey his commands.[v]
Then he will permit you[w] to possess the land;
you will see the demise of the wicked.[x]
35 I have seen ruthless, wicked people[y]
growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil.[z]
36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared.[aa]
I looked for them, but they could not be found.
37 Take note of the one who has integrity. Observe the upright.
For the one who promotes peace has a future.[ab]
38 Sinful rebels are totally destroyed;[ac]
the wicked have no future.[ad]
39 But the Lord delivers the godly;[ae]
he protects them in times of trouble.[af]
40 The Lord helps them and rescues them;
he rescues them from the wicked and delivers them,[ag]
for they seek his protection.
17 Then Samuel called the people together before the Lord at Mizpah. 18 He said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord God of Israel has said, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt and I delivered you from the power[a] of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. 19 But today you have rejected your God who saves you from all your trouble and distress. You have said, “No![b] Appoint a king over us.” Now take your positions before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.’”
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. At last Saul son of Kish was chosen by lot. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Has the man arrived here yet?” The Lord said, “He has hidden himself among the equipment.”[c]
23 So they ran and brought him from there. When he took his position among the people, he stood head and shoulders above them all. 24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people.” All the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”
25 Then Samuel talked to the people about how the kingship would work.[d] He wrote it all down on a scroll and set it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away to their homes.
13 Now when God made his promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you greatly and multiply your descendants abundantly.”[a] 15 And so by persevering, Abraham[b] inherited the promise. 16 For people[c] swear by something greater than themselves,[d] and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute.[e] 17 In the same way[f] God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable,[g] and so he intervened with an oath, 18 so that we who have found refuge in him[h] may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain,[i] 20 where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.[j]
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.