Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
140 Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;
Protect me from violent men.
2
They devise evil things in their hearts;
They continually [gather together and] stir up wars.
3
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s;
Poison of a viper is under their lips.(A) Selah.
4
Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Protect me from violent men
Who intend to trip up my steps.
5
The proud have hidden a trap 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;
Listen to the voice of my supplications, O Lord.
7
“O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.
8
“Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further their evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.
9
“Those who surround me raise their heads;
May the mischief of their own lips come upon them.
10
“Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be thrown into the fire,
Into deep [water] pits from which they cannot rise.
11
“Do not let a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil quickly hunt the violent man [to overthrow him and stop his evil acts].”
12
I know [with confidence] that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
And [will secure] justice for the poor.
13
Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The upright will dwell in Your presence.
16
Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Do not listen to the words of the [false] prophets who prophesy to you.
They are teaching you worthless things and are leading you into futility;
They speak a vision of their own mind and imagination
And not [truth] from the mouth of the Lord.
17
“They are continually saying to those who despise Me [and My word],
‘The Lord has said, “You will have peace”’;
And they say to everyone who walks after the stubbornness of his own heart,
‘No evil will come on you.’
18
“But who [among them] has stood in the council of the Lord,
That he would perceive and hear His word?
Who has marked His word [noticing and observing and paying attention to it] and has [actually] heard it?
19
“Behold, the tempest of the Lord has gone forth in wrath,
A whirling tempest;
It will whirl and burst on the heads of the wicked.
20
“The anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has set in motion and accomplished the thoughts and intentions of His heart;
In the last days you will clearly understand it.
21
“I did not send [these counterfeit] prophets,
Yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
Yet they prophesied.
22
“But if they had stood in My council,
Then they would have caused My people to hear My words,
Then they would have turned My people from their evil way
And from the evil of their decisions and deeds.
A Hard Road before Them
16 “Listen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves [have no self-serving agenda].(A) 17 Beware of men [whose nature is to act in opposition to God], for they will hand you over to the courts and flog you in their synagogues; 18 and you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you within that [very] hour;(B) 20 for it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; and children will rise up and rebel against their parents and cause them to be put death. 22 And you will be hated by everyone because of [your association with] My name, but it is the one who has patiently persevered and endured to the end who will be saved.
23 “When they persecute you in one city [because of your faith in Me], flee to the next; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you will not finish going through all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
The Meaning of Discipleship
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor is a bond-servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the bond-servant like his master. If they have called the head of the house [a]Beelzebul (Satan), how much more [will they speak evil of] the members of his household.(C)
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