Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 Consequently[a] the Lord provides safety for the oppressed;[b]
he provides safety in times of trouble.[c]
10 Your loyal followers trust in you,[d]
for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help.[e]
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who rules[f] in Zion.
Tell the nations what he has done.[g]
12 For the one who takes revenge against murderers took notice of the oppressed;[h]
he did not overlook[i] their cry for help[j]
13 when they prayed:[k]
“Have mercy on me,[l] Lord!
See how I am oppressed by those who hate me,[m]
O one who can snatch me away[n] from the gates of death!
14 Then I will[o] tell about all your praiseworthy acts;[p]
in the gates of Daughter Zion[q] I will rejoice because of your deliverance.”[r]
15 The nations fell[s] into the pit they had made;
their feet were caught in the net they had hidden.[t]
16 The Lord revealed himself;
he accomplished justice.
The wicked were ensnared by their own actions.[u] (Higgaion.[v] Selah)
17 The wicked are turned back and sent to Sheol;[w]
this is the destiny of[x] all the nations that ignore[y] God,
18 for the needy are not permanently ignored,[z]
the hopes of the oppressed are not forever dashed.[aa]
19 Rise up, Lord![ab]
Don’t let men be defiant.[ac]
May the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Terrify them, Lord.[ad]
Let the nations know they are mere mortals.[ae] (Selah)
David Appears before Saul
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had turned away from Saul, and an evil spirit[a] from the Lord tormented him. 15 Then Saul’s servants said to him, “Look, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he can play the lyre[b] and you will feel better.”[c] 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Find[d] me a man who plays well and bring him to me.” 18 One of his attendants replied,[e] “I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior[f] and is articulate[g] and handsome,[h] for the Lord is with him.”
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is out with the sheep.” 20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat[i] and sent them to Saul with[j] his son David. 21 David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul liked him a great deal,[k] and he became his armor-bearer. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, “Let David be my servant, for I am very pleased with him.”[l]
23 So whenever the spirit from God would come upon Saul, David would take his lyre and play it. This would bring relief to Saul and make him feel better. Then the evil spirit would leave him alone.[m]
Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece
20 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging[a] them and saying farewell,[b] he left to go to Macedonia.[c] 2 After he had gone through those regions[d] and spoken many words of encouragement[e] to the believers there,[f] he came to Greece,[g] 3 where he stayed[h] for three months. Because the Jews had made[i] a plot[j] against him as he was intending[k] to sail[l] for Syria, he decided[m] to return through Macedonia.[n] 4 Paul[o] was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea,[p] Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica,[q] Gaius[r] from Derbe,[s] and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.[t] 5 These had gone on ahead[u] and were waiting for us[v] in Troas.[w] 6 We[x] sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread,[y] and within five days[z] we came to the others[aa] in Troas,[ab] where we stayed for seven days. 7 On the first day[ac] of the week, when we met[ad] to break bread, Paul began to speak[ae] to the people, and because he intended[af] to leave the next day, he extended[ag] his message until midnight. 8 (Now there were many lamps[ah] in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)[ai] 9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window,[aj] was sinking[ak] into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak[al] for a long time. Fast asleep,[am] he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down,[an] threw himself[ao] on the young man,[ap] put his arms around him,[aq] and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”[ar] 11 Then Paul[as] went back upstairs,[at] and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them[au] a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly[av] comforted.
The Voyage to Miletus
13 We went on ahead[aw] to the ship and put out to sea[ax] for Assos,[ay] intending[az] to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way.[ba] He[bb] himself was intending[bc] to go there by land.[bd] 14 When he met us in Assos,[be] we took him aboard[bf] and went to Mitylene.[bg] 15 We set sail[bh] from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios.[bi] The next day we approached[bj] Samos,[bk] and the day after that we arrived at Miletus.[bl] 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so as not to spend time[bm] in the province of Asia,[bn] for he was hurrying[bo] to arrive in Jerusalem, if possible,[bp] by the day of Pentecost.
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