Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 The Lord will be a refuge for those who have been crushed,
a refuge for times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Closing Praise and Final Appeal
11 Make music for the Lord, who is seated in Zion.
Proclaim his deeds among the peoples.
12 Yes, he who avenges bloodshed remembers them.
He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Have mercy on me, O Lord.
See my afflictions that are caused by those who hate me,
and raise me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may declare all your praise.
In the gates of the Daughter of Zion[a] I will rejoice in your salvation.
The Fate of the Wicked
15 The nations have sunk into the pit they have made.
Their feet are caught in the net that they have hidden.
16 The Lord makes himself known by the judgment he has carried out.
By the work of his hands the wicked are snared. Interlude for meditation[b]
17 The wicked return to the grave,
all the nations who forget God.
18 But he will never forget the needy.
The hope of the afflicted will never perish.
19 Rise up, O Lord. Do not let man triumph.
Let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Strike them with fear, O Lord.
Let the nations know they are only human. Interlude
David and Saul Meet
14 The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil[a] spirit from the Lord tormented him.
15 So Saul’s servants said to him, “Please listen to us. An evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Our lord, please command your servants who are here with you to seek out a man who is skilled at playing the lyre. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play the lyre,[b] and you will feel better.”
17 So Saul said to his servants, “Find a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
18 Then one of the young attendants replied, “As a matter of fact, I have seen a son of Jesse from Bethlehem who is a skillful player. He is a strong, brave man, fit for war. He shows good judgment in what he says and is a handsome man. And the Lord is with him.”
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with his son David to Saul. 21 David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul loved him, and David became his armor bearer. 22 So Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Permit David to remain and serve me, for I am very pleased with him.” 23 Whenever the spirit from God came over Saul, David would take the lyre in his hand and play. So Saul would be soothed and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
To Macedonia and Greece
20 After the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and encouraged them. After saying good-bye, he left to go to Macedonia. 2 After he had gone through those areas and had spoken many words of encouragement to the people, he came to Greece 3 and stayed there three months.
Because a plot was made against him by the Jews just as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied[a] by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, along with Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us[b] at Troas. 6 We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and within five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Eutychus Raised From the Dead
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul spoke to the people. Since he intended to leave the next day, he continued talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus. He was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talking for a long time. When he was sound asleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, bent over him, threw his arms around him, and said, “Do not be alarmed, because he is alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs, broke bread, and ate. After talking for a considerable time until dawn, he left. 12 They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.
On to Miletus
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had arranged it this way, since he was intending to travel there by land. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 From there we set sail. We arrived off Chios the next day. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and[c] on the following day we came to Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to be in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.