Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer for Help in Trouble.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord before the new court, ⁶ and he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, ^(A)are You not God in the heavens? And ^(B)are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. ⁷ Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and ^(C)give it to the descendants of ^(D)Abraham Your friend forever? ⁸ They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, saying, ⁹ ‘^(E)Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for ^(F)Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.’ ¹⁰ Now behold, ^(G)the sons of Ammon and Moab and ^[a]Mount Seir, ^(H)whom You did not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt (they turned aside from them and did not destroy them), ¹¹ see how they are rewarding us by ^(I)coming to drive us out from Your possession which You have given us as an inheritance. ¹² O our God, ^(J)will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but ^(K)our eyes are on You.”

⁷ You were ^(A)running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion did not come from ^(B)Him who calls you. ^9 (C)A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. ^10 (D)I have confidence ^[a]in you in the Lord that you ^(E)will adopt no other view; but the one who is ^(F)disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. ¹¹ But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still ^(G)persecuted? Then ^(H)the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. ¹² I wish that ^(I)those who are troubling you would even ^[b](J)mutilate themselves.