Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 138[a]
Thanksgiving for God’s Favor
1 Of David.
I offer you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;[b]
before the “gods” I sing your praise.
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and I praise your name[c]
for your kindness and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 On the day I cried out, you answered me
and granted strength to my spirit.
4 [d]All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 They will sing of the ways of the Lord:
“How great is the Lord’s glory!”
6 For though the Lord is exalted, he cares for the lowly,[e]
but he remains far distant from the proud.
7 Although I walk in the midst of hostility,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and with your right hand[f] you deliver me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his plan for me.
Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever;
do not forsake the work of your hands.[g]
Chapter 5
Devastation Follows the Ark. 1 The Philistines then took the Ark of God, transporting it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the Ark of God, they brought it into the temple of Dagon[a] and set it alongside of Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod got up the next morning, they found Dagon fallen down, with his face pressed to the earth, in front of the Ark of the Lord. So they picked Dagon up and put him back in his place.
4 When they rose again the next morning, they found him fallen down again, with his face pressed to the earth, in front of the Ark of the Lord. His head and both of his hands were cut off and lying in the threshold; all that was left of Dagon was his torso. 5 This is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod steps upon its threshold. 6 The hand of the Lord bore down upon Ashdod. He brought devastation to Ashdod and its environs, striking the people with tumors.[b]
7 [c]When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “We must not keep the Ark of the God of Israel here with us, for his hand bears down upon us and our god Dagon.” 8 They summoned the lords of the Philistines and said to them, “What are we to do with the Ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the Ark of God be taken to Gath.” So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel.
9 But after they moved it, the hand of the Lord rose against that city, causing great confusion there. He struck the people of that city, both the young and the old, with tumors. 10 They, therefore, sent the Ark of God to Ekron. When the Ark of God was approaching Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They are bringing the Ark of the God of Israel here to kill us, too!”
11 So they summoned all of the lords of the Philistines and told them, “Send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its home, lest it kill all of us. There is death and panic all throughout the city, and the hand of God is bearing down upon us heavily.” 12 The men who did not die were stricken with tumors, and a cry rose up from the city to the heavens.
Chapter 5
1 Now we know that if the earthly tent in which we live is destroyed, we have a dwelling prepared for us by God, a dwelling in the heavens, not made with human hands, that will be eternal. 2 While we are in this earthly tent, we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling; 3 for when we have put it on, we will not be naked.[a]
4 While we are enclosed in this earthly tent we groan, burdened because we do not wish to be stripped naked but rather to be further clothed, so that our mortal state may be swallowed up by immortality. 5 God is the one who has prepared us for this destiny, and he has given us the Spirit as a pledge of this.
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