Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁹ All who are oppressed may come to him. He is a refuge for them in their times of trouble. ¹⁰ All those who know your mercy, Lord, will count on you for help. For you have never yet forsaken those who trust in you.

¹¹ Oh, sing out your praises to the God who lives in Jerusalem.^[a] Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds. ¹² He who avenges murder has an open ear to those who cry to him for justice. He does not ignore the prayers of men in trouble when they call to him for help.

¹³ And now, O Lord, have mercy on me; see how I suffer at the hands of those who hate me. Lord, snatch me back from the jaws of death. ¹⁴ Save me, so that I can praise you publicly before all the people at Jerusalem’s gates^[b] and rejoice that you have rescued me.

¹⁵ The nations fall into the pitfalls they have dug for others; the trap they set has snapped on them. ¹⁶ The Lord is famous for the way he punishes the wicked in their own snares!^[c]

¹⁷ The wicked shall be sent away to hell; this is the fate of all the nations forgetting the Lord. ¹⁸ For the needs of the needy shall not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor shall not always be crushed.

¹⁹ O Lord, arise and judge and punish the nations; don’t let them defy you! ²⁰ Make them tremble in fear; put the nations in their place until at last they know they are but puny men.

18 ^1-3 After King Saul had finished his conversation with David, David met Jonathan, the king’s son, and there was an immediate bond of love between them. Jonathan swore to be his blood brother, ⁴ and sealed the pact by giving him his robe, sword, bow, and belt.

King Saul now kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home anymore.

²⁵ “Then there will be strange events in the skies—warnings, evil omens and portents in the sun, moon and stars; and down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. ²⁶ The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, for the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. ²⁷ Then the peoples of the earth shall see me, the Messiah,^[a] coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up! For your salvation is near.”