Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
61 Hear my cry, O God! Give ear to my prayer!
2 From the ends of the Earth I will cry to You. When my heart is oppressed, bring me upon the Rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been my hope, a strong tower against the enemy.
4 I will dwell in Your Tabernacle forever. My trust shall be under the covering of Your wings. Selah.
5 For You, O God, have heard my desires. You have given a heritage to those who fear Your Name.
6 You shall give the king a long life. His years shall be as many ages.
7 He shall dwell before God forever. Prepare mercy and faithfulness, that they may preserve him.
8 So I will always sing praise to Your Name in performing, daily, my vows. To the excellent musician, Jeduthun: A Psalm of David
8 Now after this, David struck the Philistines and subdued them. And David took the bridle of bondage out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 And he struck Moab, and measured them with a rope and cast them down to the ground. He measured them with two ropes to put them to death, and with one full rope to keep them alive. So, the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.
3 David also struck Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.
4 And David took a thousand seven hundred horsemen from them, and twenty thousand footmen. And David hamstrung almost all the chariot horses, only sparing enough of them for a hundred chariots.
5 Then the Aramites of Dammesek came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah. But David killed twenty-two thousand of the Aramites.
6 And David put a garrison in Aram of Dammesek. And the Aramites became servants to David and brought gifts. And the LORD saved David wherever he went.
7 And David took the shields of gold that belonged to the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 And out of Betah and Berothai (cities of Hadadezer), king David brought exceedingly much bronze.
9 Then Toi, king of Hamath, heard how David had stricken all the army of Hadadezer.
10 Therefore, Toi sent Joram, his son, to king David, to greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and beaten him (for Hadadezer had warred with Toi). He brought vessels of silver with him, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze.
11 And king David dedicated them to the LORD with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued:
12 from Aram, Moab, the children of Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and the spoil of Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 So David got a name after he had returned and had killed eighteen thousand of the Aramites in the Valley of Salt.
14 And he put a garrison in Edom. He put soldiers throughout all Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.
15 Thus David reigned over all Israel and executed judgment and justice to all his people.
16 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was over the army. And Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder.
17 And Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the priests, and Seraiah the scribe.
18 And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and David’s sons were chief rulers.
17 Therefore he sent word to Ephesus from Miletus and called the elders of the church.
18 When they had come, he said to them, “You know how I have lived with you at all times, from the first day that I came into Asia;
19 “serving the Lord with all modesty, and with many tears and temptations (which came to me by the plotting of the Jews).
20 “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable, but have showed you, and taught you openly, and throughout every house;
21 “witnessing the repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ to both the Jews and the Greeks.
22 “And now behold I go, bound in the Spirit, to Jerusalem. And I do not know what things shall come to me there,
23 “except that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.
24 “But these things do not move me. Nor is my life dear to me. So that I may fulfill my course, and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus (to testify the Gospel of the grace of God) with joy.
25 “And now behold, I know that hereafter all of you among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God shall no longer see my face.
26 “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all.
27 “For I have kept nothing back but have declared to you the whole counsel of God.
28 “Therefore, attend to yourselves, and to all the flock, among which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood.
29 “For I know this: that after my departing, grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 “Moreover, men shall arise from your own selves, speaking perverse things to draw disciples away with them.
31 “Therefore watch. And remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone, both night and day, with tears.
32 “And now brothers, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build further, and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33 “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.
34 “Yes, you know that these hands have ministered to my needs, and to those who were with me.
35 “I have shown you all things; how that in so doing you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 And when he had spoken this, he kneeled down and prayed with them all.
37 Then they all wept abundantly, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,
38 being most tormented by the words he spoke of seeing his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
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