Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

42 A psalm for David. Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy: deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.

² For thou art God my strength: why hast thou cast me off? and why do I go sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me?

³ Send forth thy light and thy truth: they have conducted me, and brought me unto thy holy hill, and into thy tabernacles.

⁴ And I will go in to the altar of God: to God who giveth joy to my youth.

⁵ To thee, O God my God, I will give praise upon the harp: why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me?

⁶ Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

18 And when Jethro the priest of Madian, the kinsman of Moses, had heard all the things that God had done to Moses, and to Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought forth Israel out of Egypt,

² He took Sephora the wife of Moses whom he had sent back:

³ And her two sons, of whom one was called Gersam, his father saying: I have been a stranger in a foreign country.

⁴ And the other Eliezer: For the God of my father, said he, is my helper, and hath delivered me from the sword of Pharao.

⁵ And Jethro the kinsman of Moses came with his sons and his wife, to Moses into the desert, where he was camped by the mountain of God.

⁶ And he sent word to Moses, saying: I Jethro thy kinsman come to thee, and thy wife, and thy two sons with her.

⁷ And he went out to meet his kinsman, and worshipped and kissed him: and they saluted one another with words of peace. And when he was come into the tent,

⁸ Moses told his kinsman all that the Lord had done to Pharao, and the Egyptians, in favour of Israel: and all the labour which had befallen them in the journey, and that the Lord had delivered them.

⁹ And Jethro rejoiced for all the good things that the Lord had done to Israel, because he had delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians.

¹⁰ And he said: Blessed is the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of Pharao, and out of the hand of the Egyptians, who hath delivered his people out of the hand of Egypt.

¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is great above all gods: because they dealt proudly against them.

¹² So Jethro the kinsman of Moses offered holocausts and sacrifices to God: and Aaron and all the ancients of Israel came, to eat bread with them before God.

³ I give thanks to my God in every remembrance of you,

⁴ Always in all my prayers making supplication for you all, with joy;

⁵ For your communication in the gospel of Christ from the first day until now.

⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷ As it is meet for me to think this for you all, for that I have you in my heart; and that in my bands, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of my joy.

⁸ For God is my witness, how I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

⁹ And this I pray, that your charity may more and more abound in knowledge, and in all understanding:

¹⁰ That you may approve the better things, that you may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ,

¹¹ Filled with the fruit of justice, through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

¹² Now, brethren, I desire you should know, that the things which have happened to me, have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel:

¹³ So that my bands are made manifest in Christ, in all the court, and in all other places;

¹⁴ And many of the brethren in the Lord, growing confident by my bands, are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.