Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

86 Bow down Thine ear, O Lord; hear me, for I am poor and needy.

² Preserve my soul, for I am holy; O Thou my God, save Thy servant that trusteth in Thee.

³ Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for I cry unto Thee daily.

⁴ Make the soul of Thy servant rejoice, for unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

⁵ For Thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.

⁶ Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

⁷ In the day of my trouble I will call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me.

⁸ Among the gods there is none like unto Thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto Thy works.

⁹ All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify Thy name.

¹⁰ For Thou art great and doest wondrous things: Thou alone art God.

¹¹ Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth; unite my heart to fear Thy name.

¹² I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Thy name for evermore.

¹³ For great is Thy mercy toward me, and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

¹⁴ O God, the proud have risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul, and have not set Thee before them.

¹⁵ But Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

¹⁶ O turn unto me and have mercy upon me; give Thy strength unto Thy servant, and save the son of Thine handmaid.

¹⁷ Show me a token for good, that they that hate me may see it and be ashamed, because Thou, Lord, hast helped me and comforted me.

²⁷ And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Bid the servant pass on before us.” (And he passed on.) “But stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the word of God.”

10 Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head, and kissed him and said, “Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over His inheritance?

² When thou art departed from me today, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel’s sepulcher in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, ‘The asses which thou wentest to seek are found. And lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses and sorroweth for you, saying, “What shall I do for my son?”’

³ Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor; and there shall meet thee three men going up to God at Bethel, one carrying three kids and another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a bottle of wine.

⁴ And they will salute thee and give thee two loaves of bread, which thou shalt receive from their hands.

⁵ After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines; and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery and a taboret and a pipe and a harp before them; and they shall prophesy.

⁶ And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them and shalt be turned into another man.

⁷ And let it be, when these signs have come unto thee, that thou do as the occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.

⁸ And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down unto thee to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee and show thee what thou shalt do.”

¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?

¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. As God hath said: “I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

¹⁷ Therefore, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate,” saith the Lord. “And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you,

¹⁸ and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,” saith the Lord Almighty.

7 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.