Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
(A song for worship.)
A Prayer for Mercy
1 Our Lord and our God,
I turn my eyes to you,
on your throne in heaven.
2 Servants look to their master,
but we will look to you,
until you have mercy on us.
3 Please have mercy, Lord!
We have been insulted
more than we can stand,
4 and we can't take more abuse
from those proud,
conceited people.
Deborah and Barak Sing for the Lord
5 After the battle was over that day, Deborah and Barak sang this song:
2 We praise you, Lord!
Our soldiers volunteered,
ready to follow you.
3 Listen, kings and rulers,
while I sing for the Lord,
the God of Israel.
4 Our Lord, God of Israel,
when you came from Seir,
where the Edomites live,
5 (A) rain poured from the sky,
the earth trembled,
and mountains shook.
6 In the time of Shamgar
son of Anath,
and now again in Jael's time,
roads were too dangerous
for caravans.
Travelers had to take
the back roads,
7 and villagers couldn't work
in their fields.[a]
Then Deborah[b] took command,
protecting Israel as a mother
protects her children.
8 The Israelites worshiped
other gods,
and the gates of their towns
were then attacked.[c]
But they had no shields
or spears to fight with.
9 I praise you, Lord,
and I am grateful
for those leaders and soldiers
who volunteered.
10 Listen, everyone!
Whether you ride a donkey
with a padded saddle
or have to walk.
11 Even those who carry water[d]
to the animals will tell you,
“The Lord has won victories,
and so has Israel.”
Then the Lord's people marched
down to the town gates
12 and said, “Deborah, let's go!
Let's sing as we march.
Barak, capture our enemies.”
Return of an Evil Spirit
(Luke 11.24-26)
43 When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when the demon doesn't find a place, 44 it says, “I will go back to the home I left.” When it gets there and finds the place empty, clean, and neat, 45 it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and the person ends up in worse shape than before. That's how it will be with you evil people of today.
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