Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.
A Psalm of David, for a memorial.
38 O Lord, (A)rebuke me not in Your wrath,
And chasten me not in Your burning anger.
2 For Your (B)arrows have sunk deep into me,
And (C)Your hand has pressed down on me.
3 There is (D)no soundness in my flesh (E)because of Your indignation;
There is no health (F)in my bones because of my sin.
4 For my (G)iniquities are gone over my head;
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.
5 My [a]wounds grow foul and fester
Because of (H)my folly.
6 I am bent over and (I)greatly bowed down;
I (J)go mourning all day long.
7 For my loins are filled with (K)burning,
And there is (L)no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am (M)benumbed and [b]badly crushed;
I [c](N)groan because of the [d]agitation of my heart.
9 Lord, all (O)my desire is [e]before You;
And my (P)sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart throbs, (Q)my strength fails me;
And the (R)light of my eyes, even [f]that [g]has gone from me.
11 My [h](S)loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen (T)stand afar off.
12 Those who (U)seek my life (V)lay snares for me;
And those who (W)seek to injure me have [i]threatened destruction,
And they (X)devise treachery all day long.
13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a (Y)mute man who does not open his mouth.
14 Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
15 For (Z)I [j]hope in You, O Lord;
You (AA)will answer, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, (AB)would magnify themselves against me.”
17 For I am (AC)ready to fall,
And (AD)my [k]sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I [l](AE)confess my iniquity;
I am full of (AF)anxiety because of my sin.
19 But my (AG)enemies are vigorous and [m]strong,
And many are those who (AH)hate me wrongfully.
20 And those who (AI)repay evil for good,
They (AJ)oppose me, because I follow what is good.
21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, (AK)do not be far from me!
22 Make (AL)haste to help me,
O Lord, (AM)my salvation!
David Spares Saul’s Life
24 Now (A)when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, (B)he was told, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then (C)Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3 He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul (D)went in to [a]relieve himself. Now (E)David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. 4 The men of David said to him, “Behold, (F)this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; (G)I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good [b]to you.’” Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. 5 It came about afterward that (H)David’s [c]conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. 6 So he said to his men, “(I)Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 David [d]persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, [e]left the cave, and went on his way.
8 Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, (J)David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself. 9 David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks [f]to harm you’? 10 (K)Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave, and (L)some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 Now, (M)my father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or [g]rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you (N)are lying in wait for my life to take it. 12 (O)May the Lord judge between [h]you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘(P)Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? (Q)A dead dog, (R)a single flea? 15 (S)The Lord therefore be judge and decide between [i]you and me; and may He see and (T)plead my cause and [j]deliver me from your hand.”
16 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “(U)Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 (V)He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for (W)you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. 18 You have declared today that you have done good to me, that (X)the Lord delivered me into your hand and yet you did not kill me. 19 For if a man (Y)finds his enemy, will he let him go away [k]safely? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. 20 Now, behold, (Z)I know that you will surely be king, and that (AA)the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 21 So now (AB)swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my [l]descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s household.” 22 David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to (AC)the stronghold.
17 But in giving this instruction, (A)I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together [a]as a church, I hear that [b](B)divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. 19 For there (C)must also be factions among you, (D)so that those who are approved may become [c]evident among you. 20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and (E)another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the (F)church of God and (G)shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall (H)I praise you? In this I will not praise you.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be (A)guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must (B)examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number [a](C)sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are (D)disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with (E)the world.
33 So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.