Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 114

¹ When Israel came forth out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,

² Judah became [God’s] sanctuary (the Holy Place of His habitation), and Israel His dominion.^(A)

³ The [Red] Sea looked and fled; the Jordan [River] was turned back.^(B)

⁴ The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs.

⁵ What ails you, O [Red] Sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

⁶ You mountains, that you skip like rams, and you little hills, like lambs?

⁷ Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,

⁸ Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters.^(C)

¹⁷ When Pharaoh let the people go, God led them not by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God said, Lest the people change their purpose when they see war and return to Egypt.

¹⁸ But God led the people around by way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites went up marshaled [in ranks] out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁹ And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for [Joseph] had strictly sworn the Israelites, saying, Surely God will be with you, and you must carry my bones away from here with you.^(A)

²⁰ They journeyed from Succoth and encamped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.

²¹ The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

²² The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

¹¹ For this is the message (the announcement) which you have heard from the first, that we should love one another,

¹² [And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his deeds (activities, works) were wicked and malicious and his brother’s were righteous (virtuous).

¹³ Do not be surprised and wonder, brethren, that the world detests and pursues you with hatred.

¹⁴ We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is ^[a]held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death.

¹⁵ Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding (^[b]persevering) within him.

¹⁶ By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [^[c]in Him].