Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
5 David oppressed with the cruelty of his enemies, and fearing greater dangers, calleth to God for succor, showing how requisite it is that God should punish the malice of his adversaries. 7 After, being assured of prosperous success, he conceiveth comfort, 12 concluding, that when God shall deliver him, others also shall be partakers of the same mercies.
To him that excelleth upon [a]Nehiloth. A Psalm of David.
1 Hear my words, O Lord: understand my [b]meditation.
2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my king and my God: for unto thee do I pray.
3 Hear my voice in the morning, O Lord: for in the morning will I direct me unto thee, and I will [c]wait.
4 For thou art not a God that loveth [d]wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee.
5 [e]The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: for thou hatest all them that work iniquity.
6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak lies: the Lord will abhor the bloody man and deceitful.
7 But I [f]will come into thine house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thine holy Temple.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, [g]because of mine enemies: make thy way plain before my face.
20 1 Samaria is besieged. 13 The Lord promiseth the victory to Ahab by a Prophet. 31 The King of Israel made peace with Ben-Hadad, and is reproved therefore by the Prophet.
1 Then Ben-Hadad the king of [a]Aram assembled all his army, and two and thirty [b]kings with him, with horses, and chariots, and went up and besieged [c]Samaria, and fought against it.
2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city,
3 And said unto him, Thus saith Ben-Hadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine: also thy women, and thy fair children are mine.
4 And the king of Israel answered, and said, My lord king, according to thy saying, [d]I am thine, and all that I have.
5 And when the messengers came again, they said, Thus commandeth Ben-Hadad, and saith, When I shall send unto thee, and command, thou shalt deliver me thy silver and thy gold, and thy women, and thy children,
6 [e]Or else I will send my servants unto thee by tomorrow this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants: and whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall take it in their hands, and bring it away.
7 Then the King of Israel sent for all the Elders of the land, and said, Take heed, I pray you, and see how he seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold, and I denied him not.
8 And all the Elders, and all the people said to him, Hearken [f]not unto him, nor consent.
9 Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-Hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first time, that I will do, but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him an answer.
10 And Ben-Hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so to me and more also, if the [g]dust of Samaria be enough to all the people that follow me, for every man an handful.
11 And the king of Israel answered, and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth his harness, boast himself, as he that [h]putteth it off.
12 And when he heard that tidings, as he was with the kings drinking in the pavilions, he said unto the servants, [i]Bring forth your engines. And they set them against the city.
13 ¶ And behold, there came a Prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day, that thou mayest know, [j]that I am the Lord.
14 And Ahab said, By whom? and he said, Thus saith the Lord, By the servants of the princes of the provinces. He said again, Who shall order the battle? and he answered, Thou.
15 ¶ Then he numbered the servants of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred, two and thirty: and after them he numbered the whole people of all the children of Israel, even seven thousand.
16 And they went out at noon: but Ben-Hadad did drink till he was drunken in the tents, both he and the kings: for two and thirty kings helped him.
17 So the [k]servants of the princes of the provinces went out first: and Ben-Hadad sent out, and they showed him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.
18 And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive: or whether they be come out to fight, take them yet alive.
19 So they came out of the city, to wit, the servants of the princes of the provinces, and the host which followed them.
20 And they slew everyone his [l]enemy: and the [m]Aramites fled, and Israel pursued them: but Ben-Hadad the king of Aram escaped on an horse with his [n]horsemen.
21 And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and with a great slaughter slew the Aramites.
22 (For there had come a Prophet to the king of Israel, and had said unto him, Go, be of good courage, and consider, and take heed what thou doest: for when the year is gone about, the king of Aram will come up against thee.)
4 1 He reckoneth up the mischiefs that proceed of the works of the flesh. 7 He exhorteth to humility, 8 and to purge the heart 3 from pride, 10 backbiting, 14 and the forgetfulness of our own infirmity.
1 From [a]whence are wars and contentions among you? are they not hence, even of your pleasures, that fight in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye envy, and desire immoderately, and cannot obtain: ye fight, and war, and get nothing, [b]because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye might lay the same on your pleasures.
4 [c]Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the amity of the world is the enmity of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, maketh himself the enemy of God.
5 [d]Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us, lusteth after envy?
6 But the Scripture offereth more grace, and therefore saith, (A)God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
7 (B)[e]Submit yourselves to God: resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
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