Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
108 This Psalm is composed of two other Psalms before the seven and fiftieth and the sixtieth. The matter here contained is, 1 That David giveth himself with heart and voice to praise the Lord, 7 and assureth himself of the promise of God concerning his kingdom over Israel, and his power against other nations: 11 Who though he seem to forsake us for a time, yet he alone will in the end cast down our enemies.
A song or Psalm of David.
1 O God, mine heart is [a]prepared, so is [b]my tongue: I will sing and give praise.
2 Awake viol and harp, I will awake early.
3 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the [c]people, and I will sing unto thee among the nations.
4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
5 [d]Exalt thyself, O God, above the heavens, and let thy glory be upon all the earth,
6 That thy beloved may be delivered: [e]help with thy right hand and hear me.
7 God hath spoken in his [f]holiness: therefore I will rejoice, I shall divide Shechem and measure the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead shall be mine, and Manasseh shall be mine: Ephraim also shall be the strength of mine head: Judah is my lawgiver.
9 (A)Moab shall be my washpot: over Edom will I cast out my shoe: upon Palestine will I triumph.
10 Who will lead me into the strong city? who will bring me unto Edom?
11 [g]Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst forsaken us, and didst not go forth, O God, with our armies?
12 Give us help against trouble: for vain is the help of man.
13 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he shall tread down our enemies.
9 3 Saul seeking his father’s asses, by the counsel of his servant goeth to Samuel. 9 The Prophets called Seers. 15 The Lord revealeth to Samuel Saul’s coming, commanding him to anoint him king. 22 Samuel bringeth Saul to the feast.
1 There was now a man of Benjamin, [a]mighty in power, named (A)Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a man of Benjamin.
2 And he had a son called Saul, a [b]goodly young man and a fair: so that among the children of Israel there was none goodlier than he: from the shoulders upward, he was higher than any of the people.
3 And the asses of Kish, Saul’s father were lost: therefore Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go and [c]seek the asses.
4 So he passed through mount Ephraim, and went through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not. Then they went through the land of Shaalim, and there they were not: he went also through the land of Benjamin, but they found them not.
5 When they came to the land of [d]Zuph, Saul said unto his servant that was with him, Come and let us return, lest my father leave the care of asses, and take thought for us.
6 And he said unto him, Behold now, in this city is a man of God, and he is an honorable man: all that he saith cometh to pass: let us now go thither, if so be that he can show us what way we may go.
7 Then said Saul to his servant, Well then, let us go: but what shall we bring unto the man? For the [e]bread is spent in our vessels, and there is no present to bring to the man of God: what have we?
8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have found about me the fourth part of a [f]shekel of silver: that will I give the man of God, to tell us our way.
9 (Beforetime in Israel when a man went to seek an answer of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the [g]Seer: for he that is called now a Prophet, was in the old time called a Seer)
10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said, come, let us go: so they went into the city where the man of God was.
11 ¶ And as they were going up the highway to the city, they found maids that came out to draw water, and said unto them, Is there here a Seer?
12 And they answered them, and said, Yea, lo, he is before you: make haste now, for he came this day to the city: for there is an [h]offering of the people this day in the high place.
13 When ye shall come into the city, ye shall find him straightway ere he come up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he come, because he will [i]bless the sacrifice; and then eat they that be bidden to the feast: now therefore go up, for even now shall ye find him.
14 Then they went up into the city, and when they were come into the midst of the city, Samuel came out against them, to go up to the high place.
14 ¶ (A)Then he cast out a devil which was dumb: and when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake, and the people wondered.
15 [a]But some of them said, (B)He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.
16 And others tempted him, seeking of him a sign from heaven.
17 [b]But he knew their thoughts, and said unto them, (C)Every kingdom divided against itself, shall be desolate, and an house divided against an house, falleth.
18 So if Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand, because ye say that I cast out devils [c]through Beelzebub?
19 If I through Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore shall they be your judges.
20 But if I by the [d]finger of God cast out devils, doubtless the kingdom of God is come unto you.
21 When a strong man armed keepeth his [e]palace, the things that he possesseth, are in peace.
22 But when a stronger than he cometh upon him, and overcometh him: he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
23 [f]He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth.
24 (D)[g]When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest: and when he findeth none, he saith, I will return unto mine house whence I came out.
25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits worse than himself: and they enter in, and dwell there: (E)so the last state of that man is worse than the first.
27 ¶ [h]And it came to pass as he said these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
28 But he said, Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
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