Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

35 By David. Strive, Jehovah, with my strivers, fight with my fighters,

² Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise for my help,

³ And draw out spear and lance, To meet my pursuers. Say to my soul, `Thy salvation I [am].'

⁴ They are ashamed and blush, those seeking my soul, Turned backward and confounded, Those devising my evil.

⁵ They are as chaff before wind, And a messenger of Jehovah driving away.

⁶ Their way is darkness and slipperiness, And a messenger of Jehovah their pursuer.

⁷ For without cause they hid for me their netpit, Without cause they digged for my soul.

⁸ Meet him doth desolation -- he knoweth not, And his net that he hid catcheth him, For desolation he falleth into it.

⁹ And my soul is joyful in Jehovah, It rejoiceth in His salvation.

¹⁰ All my bones say, `Jehovah, who is like Thee, Delivering the poor from the stronger than he, And the poor and needy from his plunderer.'

22 And the sons of Israel journey and encamp in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan, [by] Jericho.

² And Balak son of Zippor seeth all that Israel hath done to the Amorite,

³ and Moab is exceedingly afraid of the presence of the people, for it [is] numerous; and Moab is vexed by the presence of the sons of Israel,

⁴ and Moab saith unto the elders of Midian, `Now doth the assembly lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the green thing of the field.' And Balak son of Zippor [is] king of Moab at that time,

⁵ and he sendeth messengers unto Balaam son of Beor, to Pethor, which [is] by the River of the land of the sons of his people, to call for him, saying, `Lo, a people hath come out of Egypt; lo, it hath covered the eye of the land, and it is abiding over-against me;

⁶ and now, come, I pray thee, curse for me this people, for it [is] mightier than I; it may be I prevail -- we smite it -- and I cast it out from the land; for I have known -- that which thou blessest is blessed, and that which thou cursest is cursed.'

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian go, and divinations in their hand, and they come in unto Balaam, and speak unto him the words of Balak,

⁸ and he saith unto them, `Lodge here to-night, and I have brought you back word, as Jehovah speaketh unto me;' and the princes of Moab abide with Balaam.

⁹ And God cometh in unto Balaam, and saith, `Who [are] these men with thee?'

¹⁰ And Balaam saith unto God, `Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me:

¹¹ Lo, the people that is coming out from Egypt and covereth the eye of the land, -- now come, pierce it for me; it may be I am able to fight against it, and have cast it out;'

¹² and God saith unto Balaam, `Thou dost not go with them; thou dost not curse the people; for it [is] blessed.'

¹³ And Balaam riseth in the morning, and saith unto the princes of Balak, `Go unto your land, for Jehovah is refusing to suffer me to go with you;'

¹⁴ and the princes of Moab rise, and come in unto Balak, and say, `Balaam is refusing to come with us.'

¹⁵ And Balak addeth yet to send princes, more numerous and honoured than these,

¹⁶ and they come in unto Balaam, and say to him, `Thus said Balak son of Zippor, Be not, I pray thee, withheld from coming unto me,

¹⁷ for very greatly I honour thee, and all that thou sayest unto me I do; and come, I pray thee, pierce for me this people.'

¹⁸ And Balaam answereth and saith unto the servants of Balak, `If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah my God, to do a little or a great thing;

¹⁹ and, now, abide, I pray you, in this [place], you also, to-night; and I know what Jehovah is adding to speak with me.'

²⁰ And God cometh in unto Balaam, by night, and saith to him, `If to call for thee the men have come, rise, go with them, and only the thing which I speak unto thee -- it thou dost do.'

²¹ And Balaam riseth in the morning, and saddleth his ass, and goeth with the princes of Moab,

¹⁷ And we having come to Jerusalem, the brethren did gladly receive us,

¹⁸ and on the morrow Paul was going in with us unto James, all the elders also came,

¹⁹ and having saluted them, he was declaring, one by one, each of the things God did among the nations through his ministration,

²⁰ and they having heard, were glorifying the Lord. They said also to him, `Thou seest, brother, how many myriads there are of Jews who have believed, and all are zealous of the law,

²¹ and they are instructed concerning thee, that apostacy from Moses thou dost teach to all Jews among the nations, saying -- Not to circumcise the children, nor after the customs to walk;

²² what then is it? certainly the multitude it behoveth to come together, for they will hear that thou hast come.

²³ `This, therefore, do that we say to thee: We have four men having a vow on themselves,

²⁴ these having taken, be purified with them, and be at expence with them, that they may shave the head, and all may know that the things of which they have been instructed concerning thee are nothing, but thou dost walk -- thyself also -- the law keeping.

²⁵ `And concerning those of the nations who have believed, we have written, having given judgment, that they observe no such thing, except to keep themselves both from idol-sacrifices, and blood, and a strangled thing, and whoredom.'

²⁶ Then Paul, having taken the men, on the following day, with them having purified himself, was entering into the temple, announcing the fulfilment of the days of the purification, till the offering was offered for each one of them.