Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

20 Unto the end. A psalm for David.

² In thy strength, O Lord, the king shall joy; and in thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly.

³ Thou hast given him his heart's desire: and hast not withholden from him the will of his lips.

⁴ For thou hast prevented him with blessings of sweetness: thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones.

⁵ He asked life of thee: and thou hast given him length of days for ever and ever.

⁶ His glory is great in thy salvation: glory and great beauty shalt thou lay upon him.

⁷ For thou shalt give him to be a blessing for ever and ever: thou shalt make him joyful in gladness with thy countenance.

⁸ For the king hopeth in the Lord: and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

⁹ Let thy hand be found by all thy enemies: let thy right hand find out all them that hate thee.

¹⁰ Thou shalt make them as an oven of fire, in the time of thy anger: the Lord shall trouble them in his wrath, and fire shall devour them.

¹¹ Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth: and their seed from among the children of men.

¹² For they have intended evils against thee: they have devised counsels which they have not been able to establish.

¹³ For thou shalt make them turn their back: in thy remnants thou shalt prepare their face.

¹⁴ Be thou exalted, O Lord, in thy own strength: we will sing and praise thy power.

¹⁵ Now the Lord had revealed to the ear of Samuel the day before Saul came, saying:

¹⁶ To morrow about this same hour I will send thee a man of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel: and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked down upon my people, because their cry is come to me.

¹⁷ And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him: Behold the man, of whom I spoke to thee, this man shall reign over my people.

¹⁸ And Saul came to Samuel in the midst of the gate and said: Tell me, I pray thee, where is the house of the seer?

¹⁹ And Samuel answered Saul, saying: I am the seer, go up before me to the high place, that you may eat with me to day, and I will let thee go in the morning: and tell thee all that is in thy heart.

²⁰ And as for the asses, which were lost three days ago, be not solicitous, because they are found. And for whom shall be all the best things of Israel? Shall they not be for thee and for all thy father's house?

²¹ And Saul answering, said: Am not I a son of Jemini of the least tribe of Israel, and my kindred the last among all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then hast thou spoken this word to me?

²² Then Samuel taking Saul and his servant, brought them into the parlour, and gave them a place at the head of them that were invited. For there were about thirty men.

²³ And Samuel said to the cook: Bring the portion, which I gave thee, and commanded thee to set it apart by thee.

²⁴ And the cook took up the shoulder, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said: Behold what is left, set it before thee, and eat: because it was kept of purpose for thee, when I invited the people. And Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ And they went down from the high place into the town, and he spoke with Saul upon the top of the house: and he prepared a bed for Saul on the top of the house, and he slept.

²⁶ And when they were risen in the morning, and it began now to be light, Samuel called Saul on the top of the house, saying: Arise, that I may let thee go. And Saul arose: and they went out both of them, to wit, he and Samuel.

²⁷ And as they were going down in the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul: Speak to the servant to go before us, and pass on: but stand thou still a while, that I may tell thee the word of the Lord.

⁵ For God hath not subjected unto angels the world to come, whereof we speak.

⁶ But one in a certain place hath testified, saying: What is man, that thou art mindful of him: or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

⁷ Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels: thou hast crowned him with glory and honour, and hast set him over the works of thy hands:

⁸ Thou hast subjected all things under his feet. For in that he hath subjected all things to him, he left nothing not subject to him. But now we see not as yet all things subject to him.

⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour: that, through the grace of God, he might taste death for all.