Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Song of degrees.

¹ ¶ Unto thee I lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

² Behold, as the eyes of slaves look unto the hand of their masters and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until he shall have mercy upon us.

³ Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we are exceedingly weary of being held in contempt.

⁴ Our soul is exceedingly weary of the scorning of those that are at ease and of the contempt of the proud.

5 ¶ Then sang Deborah with Barak, the son of Abinoam, on that day, saying,

² Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

³ Hear, O ye kings. Give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will praise the LORD God of Israel.

⁴ LORD, when thou didst go out of Seir, when thou didst march out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped; the clouds also dropped water.

⁵ The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.

⁶ ¶ In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways ceased, and those that walked went astray through crooked paths.

⁷ The inhabitants of the villages ceased; they had ceased in Israel until I Deborah arose, I arose a mother in Israel.

⁸ When they chose new gods, the war was at the gates. Was there a shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?

⁹ My heart is toward the princes of Israel, those that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.

¹⁰ Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that preside in judgment, and walk by the way.

¹¹ Because of the noise of archers, taken from among those that draw water, there they shall retell the righteousnesses of the LORD, even the righteousnesses of his villages in Israel. Now shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.

¹² ¶ Rise up, rise up, Deborah; rise up, rise up, sing a song. Stand up, Barak and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

⁴³ When the unclean spirit is gone out of the man, it walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.

⁴⁴ Then it says, I will return into my house from which I came out; and when it is come, it finds it empty, swept, and garnished.

⁴⁵ Then it goes and takes with itself seven other spirits worse than itself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it also be unto this wicked generation.