Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

57 To the Overseer. -- `Destroy not.' -- A secret treasure of David, in his fleeing from the face of Saul into a cave. Favour me, O God, favour me, For in Thee is my soul trusting, And in the shadow of Thy wings I trust, Until the calamities pass over.

² I call to God Most High, To God [who] is perfecting for me.

³ He sendeth from the heaven, and saveth me, He reproached -- who is panting after me. Selah. God sendeth forth His kindness and His truth.

⁴ My soul [is] in the midst of lions, I lie down [among] flames -- sons of men, Their teeth [are] a spear and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword.

⁵ Be Thou exalted above the heavens, O God, Above all the earth Thine honour.

⁶ A net they have prepared for my steps, Bowed down hath my soul, They have digged before me a pit, They have fallen into its midst. Selah.

⁷ Prepared is my heart, O God, Prepared is my heart, I sing and praise.

⁸ Awake, mine honour, awake, psaltery and harp, I awake the morning dawn.

⁹ I thank Thee among the peoples, O Lord, I praise Thee among the nations.

¹⁰ For great unto the heavens [is] Thy kindness, And unto the clouds Thy truth.

¹¹ Be thou exalted above the heavens, O God. Above all the earth Thine honour!

¹³ And he who is declaring tidings cometh in unto David, saying, `The heart of the men of Israel hath been after Absalom.'

¹⁴ And David saith to all his servants who [are] with him in Jerusalem, `Rise, and we flee, for we have no escape from the face of Absalom; haste to go, lest he hasten, and have overtaken us, and forced on us evil, and smitten the city by the mouth of the sword.'

¹⁵ And the servants of the king say unto the king, `According to all that my lord the king chooseth -- lo, thy servants [do].'

¹⁶ And the king goeth out, and all his household at his feet, and the king leaveth ten women -- concubines -- to keep the house.

¹⁷ And the king goeth out, and all the people at his feet, and they stand still at the farthest off house.

¹⁸ And all his servants are passing on at his side, and all the Cherethite, and all the Pelethite, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came at his feet from Gath, are passing on at the front of the king.

¹⁹ And the king saith unto Ittai the Gittite, `Why dost thou go -- thou also -- with us? turn back -- and abide with the king, for thou [art] a stranger, and also an exile thou -- to thy place.

²⁰ Yesterday [is] thy coming in, and to-day I move thee to go with us, and I am going on that which I am going! -- turn back, and take back thy brethren with thee, -- kindness and truth.'

²¹ And Ittai answereth the king and saith, `Jehovah liveth, and my lord the king liveth, surely in the place where my lord the king is -- if for death, if for life, surely there is thy servant.'

²² And David saith unto Ittai, `Go and pass over;' and Ittai the Gittite passeth over, and all his men, and all the infants who [are] with him.

²³ And all the land are weeping -- a great voice, and all the people are passing over; and the king is passing over through the brook Kidron, and all the people are passing over on the front of the way of the wilderness;

²⁴ and lo, also Zadok, and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God, and they make the ark of God firm, and Abiathar goeth up, till the completion of all the people to pass over out of the city.

²⁵ And the king saith to Zadok, `Take back the ark of God to the city; if I find grace in the eyes of Jehovah, then He hath brought me back, and shewn me it and His habitation;

²⁶ and if thus He say, I have not delighted in thee; here [am] I, He doth to me as [is] good in His eyes.'

²⁷ And the king saith unto Zadok the priest, `Art thou a seer? turn back to the city in peace, and Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar, your two sons with you;

²⁸ see ye, I am tarrying in the plains of the wilderness till the coming in of a word from you to declare to me.'

²⁹ And Zadok taketh back -- and Abiathar -- the ark of God to Jerusalem, and they abide there.

³⁰ And David is going up in the ascent of the olives, going up and weeping, and he hath the head covered, and he is going barefooted, and all the people who [are] with him have covered each his head, and have gone up, going up and weeping;

³¹ and David declared, saying, `Ahithophel [is] among the conspirators with Absalom;' and David saith, `Make foolish, I pray Thee, the counsel of Ahithophel, O Jehovah.'

5 Become, then, followers of God, as children beloved,

² and walk in love, as also the Christ did love us, and did give himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odour of a sweet smell,

³ and whoredom, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints;

⁴ also filthiness, and foolish talking, or jesting, -- the things not fit -- but rather thanksgiving;

⁵ for this ye know, that every whoremonger, or unclean, or covetous person, who is an idolater, hath no inheritance in the reign of the Christ and God.

⁶ Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the sons of the disobedience,

⁷ become not, then, partakers with them,

⁸ for ye were once darkness, and now light in the Lord; as children of light walk ye,

⁹ for the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth,

¹⁰ proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord,

¹¹ and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness and rather even convict,

¹² for the things in secret done by them it is a shame even to speak of,

¹³ and all the things reproved by the light are manifested, for everything that is manifested is light;

¹⁴ wherefore he saith, `Arouse thyself, thou who art sleeping, and arise out of the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee.'