Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

42 As the deer brays for the rivers of water, so panted my soul after You, O God.

² My soul thirsts for God, even for the living God. When shall I come and appear before the presence of God?

³ My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me daily, “Where is your God?”

⁴ When I remembered these things, I poured out my very heart; because I had gone with the multitude and led them into the House of God with the voice of singing and praise, as a multitude that keeps a feast.

⁵ Why are you cast down, my soul, and unquiet within me? Wait on God; for I will still give Him thanks for the help of His presence.

⁶ My God, my soul is cast down within me because I remembered You from the land of Jordan, and Hermon, and from the Mount Mizar.

⁷ One deep calls another deep by the noise of Your waterspouts. All Your waves and Your floods have gone over me.

⁸ The LORD will grant His lovingkindness in the day; and in the night shall I sing of Him a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I will say to God, my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning when the enemy oppresses?”

¹⁰ As a sword shattering my bones, my enemies reproach me, saying daily to me, “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why are you cast down, my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Wait on God. For I will yet give thanks to Him, to the Face of my Deliverer and my God.

18 When Jethro, the Priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, His people (how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt),

² then, Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, (after he had sent her away)

³ and her two sons, one of whom was called Gershom (for he said, ‘I have been an alien in a strange land’);

⁴ and the name of the other was Eliezer (for he said, ‘The God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh’).

⁵ And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came into the wilderness, to Moses and his two sons and his wife, where he camped by the Mount of God.

⁶ And he said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law, Jethro, have come to you and your wife and her two sons with her.”

⁷ And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down, and kissed him. And each asked the other of his welfare. And they came into the tent.

⁸ Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians, for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come to them on the way, and how the LORD delivered them.

⁹ And Jethro rejoiced at all the goodness which the LORD had shown to Israel, because He had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ Therefore, Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, Who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; Who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

¹¹ “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods. For they had dealt proudly with them.”

¹² Then, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took burnt offerings and sacrifices to God. And Aaron, and all the elders of Israel, came to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

³ I thank my God with every remembrance of you,

⁴ (always, in all my prayers for all you, praying with joy),

⁵ because of the fellowship which you have in the Gospel, from the first day until now.

⁶ And I am persuaded of this same thing: that He who has begun this good work in you will perfect it until the Day of Jesus Christ;

⁷ just as it is right for me to think this way of you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel you all were fellow partakers of grace with me.

⁸ For God is my witness how I long after you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

⁹ And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;

¹⁰ so that you may test those things which are better; that you may be pure and without offense until the Day of Christ,

¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness which is by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

¹² Brothers, I desire that you understand that the things which are against me have really caused a furthering of the Gospel.

¹³ So, as for my bonds in Christ, they are famous throughout all the Praetorium and in all other places;

¹⁴ so much so that many of the brothers in the Lord are emboldened by my bonds and dare speak the Word of God more frankly.