Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
140 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;
(A)They continually gather together for war.
3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The (B)poison of asps is under their lips. Selah
4 (C)Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.
5 The proud have hidden a (D)snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me. Selah
6 I said to the Lord: “You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.
7 O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have [a]covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
(E)Lest they be exalted. Selah
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;
10 (F)Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”
12 I know that the Lord will (G)maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.
34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord (A)has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife (B)bore a son to my master when she was old; and (C)to him he has given all that he has. 37 Now my master (D)made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell; 38 (E)but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’ 39 (F)And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ 40 (G)But he said to me, ‘The Lord, (H)before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and [a]prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house. 41 (I)You will be clear from this oath when you arrive among my family; for if they will not give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’
50 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, (A)“The thing comes from the Lord; we cannot (B)speak to you either bad or good. 51 (C)Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the Lord has spoken.”
52 And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, that (D)he worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. 53 Then the servant brought out (E)jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave (F)precious things to her brother and to her mother.
54 And he and the men who were with him ate and drank and stayed all night. Then they arose in the morning, and he said, (G)“Send me away to my master.”
55 But her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman stay with us a few days, at least ten; after that she may go.”
56 And he said to them, “Do not [a]hinder me, since the Lord has prospered my way; send me away so that I may go to my master.”
57 So they said, “We will call the young woman and ask her personally.” 58 Then they called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man?”
And she said, “I will go.”
59 So they sent away Rebekah their sister (H)and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her:
“Our sister, may you become
(I)The mother of thousands of ten thousands;
(J)And may your descendants possess
The gates of those who hate them.”
61 Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.
62 Now Isaac came from the way of (K)Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South. 63 And Isaac went out (L)to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. 64 Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac (M)she dismounted from her camel; 65 for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?”
The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.
66 And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. 67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he (N)took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac (O)was comforted after his mother’s death.
7 [a]Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had (A)from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard [b]from the beginning. 8 Again, (B)a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, (C)because the darkness is passing away, and (D)the true light is already shining.
9 (E)He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 (F)He who loves his brother abides in the light, and (G)there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who (H)hates his brother is in darkness and (I)walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.