Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
16 A Secret Treasure of David. Preserve me, O God, for I did trust in Thee.
2 Thou hast said to Jehovah, `My Lord Thou [art];' My good [is] not for thine own sake;
3 For the holy ones who [are] in the land, And the honourable, all my delight [is] in them.
4 Multiplied are their griefs, [Who] have hastened backward; I pour not out their libations of blood, Nor do I take up their names on my lips.
5 Jehovah [is] the portion of my share, and of my cup, Thou -- Thou dost uphold my lot.
6 Lines have fallen to me in pleasant places, Yea, a beauteous inheritance [is] for me.
7 I bless Jehovah who hath counselled me; Also [in] the nights my reins instruct me.
8 I did place Jehovah before me continually, Because -- at my right hand I am not moved.
9 Therefore hath my heart been glad, And my honour doth rejoice, Also my flesh dwelleth confidently:
10 For Thou dost not leave my soul to Sheol, Nor givest thy saintly one to see corruption.
11 Thou causest me to know the path of life; Fulness of joys [is] with Thy presence, Pleasant things by Thy right hand for ever!
1 And Moab transgresseth against Israel after the death of Ahab,
2 and Ahaziah falleth through the lattice in his upper chamber that [is] in Samaria, and is sick, and sendeth messengers, and saith unto them, `Go ye, inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron if I recover from this sickness.'
3 And a messenger of Jehovah hath spoken unto Elijah the Tishbite, `Rise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and speak unto them, Is it because there is not a God in Israel -- ye are going to inquire of Baal Zebub god of Ekron?
4 and therefore, thus said Jehovah, The bed whither thou hast gone up, thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die;' and Elijah goeth on.
5 And the messengers turn back unto him, and he saith unto them, `What [is] this -- ye have turned back!'
6 And they say unto him, `A man hath come up to meet us, and saith unto us, Go, turn back unto the king who sent you, and ye have said unto him, Thus said Jehovah, Is it because there is not a God in Israel -- thou art sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron? therefore, the bed whither thou hast gone up, thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die.'
7 And he saith unto them, `What [is] the fashion of the man who hath come up to meet you, and speaketh unto you these words?'
8 And they say unto him, `A man -- hairy, and a girdle of skin girt about his loins;' and he saith, `He [is] Elijah the Tishbite.'
9 And he sendeth unto him a head of fifty and his fifty, and he goeth up unto him (and lo, he is sitting on the top of the hill), and he speaketh unto him, `O man of God, the king hath spoken, Come down.'
10 And Elijah answereth and speaketh unto the head of the fifty, `And if I [am] a man of God, fire doth come down from the heavens, and consume thee and thy fifty;' and fire cometh down from the heavens, and consumeth him and his fifty.
11 And he turneth and sendeth unto him another head of fifty and his fifty, and he answereth and speaketh unto him, `O man of God, thus said the king, Haste, come down.'
12 And Elijah answereth and speaketh unto them, `If I [am] a man of God, fire doth come down from the heavens, and consume thee and thy fifty;' and fire of God cometh down from the heavens, and consumeth him and his fifty.
13 And he turneth and sendeth a third head of fifty and his fifty, and the third head of fifty goeth up, and cometh in, and boweth on his knees over-against Elijah, and maketh supplication unto him, and speaketh unto him, `O man of God, let be precious, I pray thee, my soul and the soul of thy servants -- these fifty -- in thine eyes.
14 Lo, come down hath fire from the heavens, and consumeth the two heads of the former fifties and their fifties; and, now, let my soul be precious in thine eyes.'
15 And a messenger of Jehovah speaketh unto Elijah, `Go down with him, be not afraid of him;' and he riseth and goeth down with him unto the king,
16 and speaketh unto him, `Thus said Jehovah, Because that thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron -- is it because there is not a God in Israel to inquire of His word? therefore, the bed whither thou hast gone up -- thou dost not come down from it, for thou dost certainly die.'
8 But then, indeed, not having known God, ye were in servitude to those not by nature gods,
9 and now, having known God -- and rather being known by God -- how turn ye again unto the weak and poor elements to which anew ye desire to be in servitude?
10 days ye observe, and months, and times, and years!
11 I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you.
12 Become as I [am] -- because I also [am] as ye brethren, I beseech you; to me ye did no hurt,
13 and ye have known that through infirmity of the flesh I did proclaim good news to you at the first,
14 and my trial that [is] in my flesh ye did not despise nor reject, but as a messenger of God ye did receive me -- as Christ Jesus;
15 what then was your happiness? for I testify to you, that if possible, your eyes having plucked out, ye would have given to me;
16 so that your enemy have I become, being true to you?
17 they are zealous for you -- [yet] not well, but they wish to shut us out, that for them ye may be zealous;
18 and [it is] good to be zealously regarded, in what is good, at all times, and not only in my being present with you;
19 my little children, of whom again I travail in birth, till Christ may be formed in you,
20 and I was wishing to be present with you now, and to change my voice, because I am in doubt about you.