Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Book Five

Psalm 107

¹ O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!

² Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has delivered from the hand of the adversary,

³ And gathered them out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the [Red] Sea in the south.

⁴ Some wandered in the wilderness in a solitary desert track; they found no city for habitation.

⁵ Hungry and thirsty, they fainted; their lives were near to being extinguished.

⁶ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.

⁷ He led them forth by the straight and right way, that they might go to a city where they could establish their homes.

⁸ Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!

⁹ For He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with good.

¹⁰ Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and in irons,^(A)

¹¹ Because they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High.

¹² Therefore He bowed down their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled and fell down, and there was none to help.

¹³ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses.

¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke apart the bonds that held them.^(B)

¹⁵ Oh, that men would praise [and confess to] the Lord for His goodness and loving-kindness and His wonderful works to the children of men!

¹⁶ For He has broken the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron apart.

20 And the Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month. And the people dwelt in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.

² Now there was no water for the congregation, and they assembled together against Moses and Aaron.

³ And the people contended with Moses, and said, Would that we had died when our brethren died [in the plague] before the Lord!^(A)

⁴ And why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, we and our livestock?

⁵ And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place? It is no place of grain or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates. And there is no water to drink.

⁶ Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

⁷ And the Lord said to Moses,

⁸ Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to give forth its water, and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their livestock drink.

⁹ So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He commanded him.

¹⁰ And Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation before the rock and Moses said to them, Hear now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?

¹¹ And Moses lifted up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock ^[a]twice. And the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.

¹² And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe in (rely on, cling to) Me to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Israelites, you therefore ^[b]shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.^(B)

¹³ These are the waters of Meribah [strife], where the Israelites contended with the Lord and He showed Himself holy among them.

⁶ Now these things are examples (warnings and admonitions) for us not to desire or crave or covet or lust after evil and carnal things as they did.^(A)

⁷ Do not be worshipers of false gods as some of them were, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink [the sacrifices offered to the golden calf at Horeb] and rose to sport (to dance and give way to jesting and hilarity).^(B)

⁸ We must not gratify evil desire and indulge in immorality as some of them did—and twenty-three thousand [suddenly] fell dead in a single day!^(C)

⁹ We should not tempt the Lord [try His patience, become a trial to Him, critically appraise Him, and exploit His goodness] as some of them did—and were killed by poisonous serpents;^(D)

¹⁰ Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did—and were ^[a]put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death).^(E)

¹¹ Now these things befell them by way of a figure [as an example and warning to us]; they were written to admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction, we in whose days the ages have reached their climax (their consummation and concluding period).

¹² Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands [who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm], take heed lest he fall [into sin].

¹³ For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not ^[b]adjusted and ^[c]adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to ^[d]a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.