Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

3 A Psalm of David, in his fleeing from the face of Absalom his son. Jehovah, how have my distresses multiplied! Many are rising up against me.

² Many are saying of my soul, `There is no salvation for him in God.' Selah.

³ And Thou, O Jehovah, [art] a shield for me, My honour, and lifter up of my head.

⁴ My voice [is] unto Jehovah: I call: And He answereth me from his holy hill, Selah.

⁵ I -- I have lain down, and I sleep, I have waked, for Jehovah sustaineth me.

⁶ I am not afraid of myriads of people, That round about they have set against me.

⁷ Rise, O Jehovah! save me, my God. Because Thou hast smitten All mine enemies [on] the cheek. The teeth of the wicked Thou hast broken.

⁸ Of Jehovah [is] this salvation; On Thy people [is] Thy blessing! Selah.

⁵ `And thou hast answered and said before Jehovah thy God, A perishing Aramaean [is] my father! and he goeth down to Egypt, and sojourneth there with few men, and becometh there a nation, great, mighty, and numerous;

⁶ and the Egyptians do us evil, and afflict us, and put on us hard service;

⁷ and we cry unto Jehovah, God of our fathers, and Jehovah heareth our voice, and seeth our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression;

⁸ and Jehovah bringeth us out from Egypt, by a strong hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great fear, and by signs, and by wonders,

⁹ and he bringeth us in unto this place, and giveth to us this land -- a land flowing with milk and honey.

¹⁰ `And now, lo, I have brought in the first of the fruits of the ground which thou hast given to me, O Jehovah; -- and thou hast placed it before Jehovah thy God, and bowed thyself before Jehovah thy God,

³² And call to your remembrance the former days, in which, having been enlightened, ye did endure much conflict of sufferings,

³³ partly both with reproaches and tribulations being made spectacles, and partly having become partners of those so living,

³⁴ for also with my bonds ye sympathised, and the robbery of your goods with joy ye did receive, knowing that ye have in yourselves a better substance in the heavens, and an enduring one.

³⁵ Ye may not cast away, then, your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward,

³⁶ for of patience ye have need, that the will of God having done, ye may receive the promise,

³⁷ for yet a very very little, He who is coming will come, and will not tarry;

³⁸ and `the righteous by faith shall live,' and `if he may draw back, My soul hath no pleasure in him,'

³⁹ and we are not of those drawing back to destruction, but of those believing to a preserving of soul.