Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Unfaithfulness of God’s People
106 Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord,
since he is good,
for his gracious love exists forever.
2 Who can fully describe the mighty acts of the Lord
or proclaim all his praises?
3 How happy are those who enforce justice,
who live righteously all the time.
4 Remember me, Lord,
when you show favor to your people.
Visit us with your deliverance,
5 to witness the prosperity of your chosen ones,
to rejoice in your nation’s joy,
to glory in your inheritance.
6 We have sinned, along with our ancestors;
we have committed iniquity and wickedness.
7 In Egypt, our ancestors neither comprehended your awesome deeds
nor remembered your abundant gracious love.
Instead, they rebelled beside the sea, the Reed[a] Sea.
8 He delivered for the sake of his name,[b]
to make his power known.
9 He shouted at the Reed[c] Sea and it dried up;
and led them through the sea as though through a desert.
10 He delivered them from the power of their foe;
redeeming them from the power of their enemy.
11 The water overwhelmed their enemies,
so that not one of them survived.[d]
12 Then they believed his word
and sung his praise.
Deborah, Israel’s Fourth Judge
4 After Ehud died, while the Lord was watching, the Israelis made the evil they had been practicing even worse, 2 so the Lord turned them over to domination by King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commanding officer of his army, lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.[a] 3 The Israelis cried out to the Lord, because of his 900 iron chariots. Jabin[b] oppressed the Israelis forcefully for twenty years.
4 Deborah, a woman, prophet, and wife of Lappidoth, was herself judging Israel during that time. 5 She regularly took her seat[c] under the Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountainous region[d] of Ephraim, where the Israelis would approach her for decisions. 6 She sent word to Abinoam’s son Barak from Kedesh-naphtali, summoning him. She asked him, “The Lord God of Israel has commanded you, hasn’t he? He told you,[e] ‘Go out, march to Mount Tabor, and take 10,000 men with you from the tribes[f] of Naphtali and Zebulun. 7 I will draw out Sisera, the commanding officer of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and troops, to the Kishon River, where I will drop him right into your hands.’”
8 “If you’ll go with me, I’ll go,” Barak replied. “But if you won’t go with me, then I’m not going.”
9 She responded, “I will surely go with you, but the road that you’re about to take will not lead to honor for you. The Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak toward Kedesh. 10 Barak called out the army of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali to march on Kedesh, and 10,000 men went out to war with him, along with Deborah.
11 Meanwhile, Heber the Kenite had been separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Moses’ father-in-law Hobab. He had pitched his tents far away, near the Elon-bezaanannim.[g] 12 Furthermore, Sisera had been informed that Abinoam’s son Barak had marched on Mount Tabor. 13 So Sisera gathered his iron chariots together from Harosheth-haggoyim[h]—all 900 of them, along with all the people who were assigned to them—and they assembled at the Kishon River.
14 “Get going!” Deborah told Barak. “Because today’s the day when the Lord has dropped Sisera into your hands! Look! The Lord has already gone out ahead of you!” So Barak left Mount Tabor, followed by 10,000 men, 15 and the Lord threw Sisera, all the chariots, and his entire army into a panic right in front of Barak. Then Sisera abandoned his chariot and escaped on foot 16 while Barak chased the chariots and army as far as Harosheth-haggoyim.[i] Sisera’s entire army died in the battle—not even one soldier[j] remained.
Putting on the Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, relying on his mighty strength. 11 Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the Devil’s strategies.[a] 12 For our[b] struggle is not against human opponents,[c] but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us,[d] and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm. 13 For this reason, take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to take a stand whenever evil comes. And when you have done everything you could, you will be able to stand firm.
14 Stand firm, therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and being firm-footed in the gospel of peace.[e] 16 In addition to having clothed yourselves with these things, having taken up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one, 17 also take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.