Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

48 A Song, a Psalm, by sons of Korah. Great [is] Jehovah, and praised greatly, In the city of our God -- His holy hill.

² Beautiful [for] elevation, A joy of all the land, [is] Mount Zion, The sides of the north, the city of a great king.

³ God in her high places is known for a tower.

⁴ For, lo, the kings met, they passed by together,

⁵ They have seen -- so they have marvelled, They have been troubled, they were hastened away.

⁶ Trembling hath seized them there, Pain, as of a travailing woman.

⁷ By an east wind Thou shiverest ships of Tarshish.

⁸ As we have heard, so we have seen, In the city of Jehovah of hosts, In the city of our God, God doth establish her -- to the age. Selah.

⁹ We have thought, O God, of Thy kindness, In the midst of Thy temple,

¹⁰ As [is] Thy name, O God, so [is] Thy praise, Over the ends of the earth, Righteousness hath filled Thy right hand.

¹¹ Rejoice doth Mount Zion, The daughters of Judah are joyful, For the sake of Thy judgments.

¹² Compass Zion, and go round her, count her towers,

¹³ Set your heart to her bulwark, Consider her high places, So that ye recount to a later generation,

¹⁴ That this God [is] our God -- To the age and for ever, He -- he doth lead us over death!

3 And the war is long between the house of Saul and the house of David, and David is going on and [is] strong, and the house of Saul are going on and [are] weak.

² And there are born to David sons in Hebron, and his first-born is Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,

³ and his second [is] Chileab, of Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite, and the third [is] Absalom son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur,

⁴ and the fourth [is] Adonijah son of Haggith, and the fifth [is] Shephatiah son of Abital,

⁵ and the sixth [is] Ithream, of Eglah wife of David; these have been born to David in Hebron.

⁶ And it cometh to pass, in the war being between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner hath been strengthening himself in the house of Saul,

⁷ and Saul hath a concubine, and her name [is] Rizpah daughter of Aiah, and [Ish-Bosheth] saith unto Abner, `Wherefore hast thou gone in unto the concubine of my father?'

⁸ And it is displeasing to Abner exceedingly, because of the words of Ish-Bosheth, and he saith, `The head of a dog [am] I -- that in reference to Judah to-day I do kindness with the house of Saul thy father, unto his brethren, and unto his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David -- that thou chargest against me iniquity concerning the woman to-day?

⁹ thus doth God to Abner, and thus He doth add to him, surely as Jehovah hath sworn to David -- surely so I do to him:

¹⁰ to cause the kingdom to pass over from the house of Saul, and to raise up the throne of David over Israel, and over Judah, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba.'

¹¹ And he is not able any more to turn back Abner a word, because of his fearing him.

¹² And Abner sendeth messengers unto David for himself, saying, `Whose [is] the land?' saying, `Make thy covenant with me, and lo, my hand [is] with thee, to bring round unto thee all Israel.'

⁷ The things in presence do ye see? if any one hath trusted in himself to be Christ's, this let him reckon again from himself, that according as he is Christ's, so also we [are] Christ's;

⁸ for even if also anything more abundantly I shall boast concerning our authority, that the Lord gave us for building up, and not for casting you down, I shall not be ashamed;

⁹ that I may not seem as if I would terrify you through the letters,

¹⁰ `because the letters indeed -- saith one -- [are] weighty and strong, and the bodily presence weak, and the speech despicable.'

¹¹ This one -- let him reckon thus: that such as we are in word, through letters, being absent, such also, being present, [we are] in deed.