Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 140
Prayer for Rescue
For the choir director. A psalm of David.
1 Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
Keep me safe from violent men(A)
2 who plan evil in their hearts.
They stir up wars all day long.(B)
3 They make their tongues
as sharp as a snake’s bite;
viper’s venom is under their lips.(C)Selah
4 Protect me, Lord,
from the power of the wicked.(D)
Keep me safe from violent men
who plan to make me stumble.[a](E)
5 The proud hide a trap with ropes for me;
they spread a net along the path
and set snares for me.(F)Selah
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.(G)
7 Lord, my Lord, my strong Savior,
you shield my head on the day of battle.(H)
8 Lord, do not grant the desires of the wicked;
do not let them achieve their goals.
Otherwise, they will become proud.(I)Selah
16 This is what the Lord of Armies says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are deluding you. They speak visions from their own minds,(A) not from the Lord’s mouth.(B) 17 They keep on saying to those who despise me,(C) ‘The Lord has spoken: You will have peace.’(D) They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”
18 For who has stood in the council(E) of the Lord
to see and hear his word?
Who has paid attention to his word and obeyed?
19 Look, a storm from the Lord!(F)
Wrath has gone out,
a whirling storm.
It will whirl about the heads of the wicked.
20 The Lord’s anger will not turn away(G)
until he has completely fulfilled the purposes of his heart.
In time to come you will understand it clearly.(H)
21 I did not send out these prophets,(I)
yet they ran.(J)
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 If they had really stood in my council,
they would have enabled my people to hear my words
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and their evil deeds.(K)
Persecutions Predicted
16 “Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.(A) 17 Beware of them, because they will hand you over to local courts[a] and flog you in their synagogues.(B) 18 You will even be brought before governors and kings because of me, to bear witness to them and to the Gentiles.(C) 19 But when they hand you over, don’t worry about how or what you are to speak.(D) For you will be given what to say at that hour, 20 because it isn’t you speaking, but the Spirit(E) of your Father is speaking through you.(F)
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.(G) 22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name.(H) But the one who endures to the end will be saved.(I) 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.(J) For truly I tell you, you will not have gone through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 A disciple[b] is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master.(K) 25 It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master. If they called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more the members of his household!(L)
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