Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

139 Unto the end, a psalm for David.

² Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: rescue me from the unjust man.

³ Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.

⁴ They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of saps is under their lips.

⁵ Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked: and from unjust men deliver me. Who have proposed to supplant my steps.

⁶ The proud have hidden a net for me. And they have stretched out cords for a snare: they have laid for me a stumblingblock by the wayside.

¹³ I know that the Lord will do justice to the needy, and will revenge the poor.

¹⁴ But as for the just, they shall give glory to thy name: and the upright shall dwell with thy countenance.

¹⁶ And the Lord raised up judges, to deliver them from the hands of those that oppressed them: but they would not hearken to them,

¹⁷ Committing fornication with strange gods, and adoring them. They quickly forsook the way, in which their fathers had walked: and hearing the commandments of the Lord, they did all things contrary.

¹⁸ And when the Lord raised them up judges, in their days he was moved to mercy, and heard the groanings of the afflicted, and delivered them from the slaughter of the oppressors.

¹⁹ But after the judge was dead, they returned, and did much worse things than their fathers had done, following strange gods, serving them and adoring them. They left not their own inventions, and the stubborn way, by which they were accustomed to walk.

²⁰ And the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said: Behold this nation hath made void my covenant, which I had made with their fathers, and hath despised to hearken to my voice:

²¹ I also will not destroy the nations which Josue left, when he died:

²² That through them I may try Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord, and walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or not.

²³ The Lord therefore left all these nations, and would not quickly destroy them, neither did he deliver them into the hands of Josue.

¹⁶ Then Paul rising up, and with his hand bespeaking silence, said: Ye men of Israel, and you that fear God, give ear.

¹⁷ The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they were sojourners in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought them out from thence,

¹⁸ And for the space of forty years endured their manners in the desert.

¹⁹ And destroying seven nations in the land of Chanaan, divided their land among them, by lot,

²⁰ As it were, after four hundred and fifty years: and after these things, he gave unto them judges, until Samuel the prophet.

²¹ And after that they desired a king: and God gave them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, forty years.

²² And when he had removed him, he raised them up David to be king: to whom giving testimony, he said: I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man according to my own heart, who shall do all my wills.

²³ Of this man's seed God according to his promise, hath raised up to Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

²⁴ John first preaching, before his coming, the baptism of penance to all the people of Israel.

²⁵ And when John was fulfilling his course, he said: I am not he, whom you think me to be: but behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.