Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble.
For the choir director; with stringed instruments, [a]upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David.
6 O Lord, (A)do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am (B)pining away;
(C)Heal me, O Lord, for (D)my bones are dismayed.
3 And my (E)soul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O Lord—(F)how long?
4 Return, O Lord, (G)rescue my [b]soul;
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.
5 For (H)there is no [c]mention of You in death;
In [d]Sheol who will give You thanks?
Gehazi’s Greed
15 When he returned to the man of God [a]with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, (A)I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please (B)take a [b]present from your servant now.” 16 But he said, “(C)As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, (D)I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of (E)earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. 18 In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and (F)he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” 19 He said to him, “(G)Go in peace.” So he departed from him some distance.
21 Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the [a]Spirit to (A)go to Jerusalem (B)after he had passed through (C)Macedonia and (D)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, (E)I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into (F)Macedonia two of (G)those who ministered to him, (H)Timothy and (I)Erastus, he himself stayed in [b](J)Asia for a while.
23 About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning (K)the Way. 24 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [c]Artemis, (L)was bringing no little [d]business to the craftsmen; 25 these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity [e]depends upon this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in (M)Ephesus, but in almost all of [f](N)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that [g](O)gods made with hands are no gods at all. 27 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess [h]Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of [i](P)Asia and (Q)the [j]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”
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