Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the Overcomer upon, Do not destroy, Michtam of David, when he fled from the presence of Saul in the cave.

¹ ¶ Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusts in thee; and in the shadow of thy wings I will make my refuge until these calamities are overpast.

² I will cry unto God most high, unto God that performs all things for me.

³ He shall send from the heavens and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

⁴ My soul is among lions, and I lie even among those that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.

⁵ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

⁶ They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down; they have dug a pit before me, into the midst of which they are fallen themselves. Selah.

⁷ ¶ My heart is ready, O God, my heart is willing; I will sing and give praise.

⁸ Awake, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp; I myself will arise early.

⁹ I will praise thee, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing unto thee among the nations.

¹⁰ For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.

¹¹ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

19 ¶ And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.

² And that day the salvation was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day how the king was grieved for his son.

³ And the people entered by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

⁴ But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!

⁵ And Joab entering into the house of the king, said unto him, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy slaves, who this day have saved thy life and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters and the lives of thy wives and the lives of thy concubines,

⁶ by loving those who hate thee and hating thy friends. For thou hast declared this day that thou dost not regard thy princes nor thy slaves. For this day I perceive that if Absalom had lived and we had all died today, then this would be right in thine eyes.

⁷ Now, therefore, arise, go forth and speak unto the heart of thy slaves, for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, not one of them will abide with thee tonight and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that has come upon thee from thy youth until now.

⁸ Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And it was declared unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate. And all the people came before the king, but Israel had fled every man to his tent.

⁹ ¶ And all the people were in contention throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land for Absalom.

¹⁰ And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now, therefore, why are ye silent regarding bringing the king back?

¹¹ And King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why shall ye be the last to bring the king back to his house? Seeing that the word of all Israel has come to the king, to return him to his house.

¹² Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh; why then are ye the last to bring back the king?

¹³ Likewise say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone and of my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the place of Joab.

¹⁴ And he inclined the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man, so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou and all thy slaves.

¹⁵ So the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over the Jordan.

¹⁶ ¶ And Shimei, the son of Gera, son of Jemini, who was of Bahurim, hastened and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

¹⁷ And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him; likewise Ziba, the slave of the house of Saul and his fifteen sons and his twenty slaves with him, who went over the Jordan before the king.

¹⁸ Then the ferry boat went over to carry over the king’s household and to do what he desired. Then Shimei, the son of Gera, fell down before the king, as he was passing the Jordan,

³⁵ And Jesus said unto them, I AM the bread of life; he that comes to me shall never hunger, and he that believes in me shall never thirst.

³⁶ But I said unto you, That even though ye have seen me, ye do not believe.

³⁷ All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.

³⁸ For I came down from the heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me.

³⁹ And this is the Father’s will who has sent me, that of all whom he has given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again in the last day.

⁴⁰ And this is the will of him that sent me, That every one who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up in the last day.