Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.
For the choir director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when he fled from Saul in the cave.
57 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,
For my soul (A)takes refuge in You;
And in the (B)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction (C)passes by.
2 I will cry to God Most High,
To God who (D)accomplishes all things for me.
3 He will (E)send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches him who [d](F)tramples upon me. [e]Selah.
God will send forth His (G)lovingkindness and His [f]truth.
4 My soul is among (H)lions;
I must lie among those who breathe forth fire,
Even the sons of men, whose (I)teeth are spears and arrows
And their (J)tongue a sharp sword.
5 (K)Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have [g]prepared a (L)net for my steps;
My soul is (M)bowed down;
They (N)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have (O)fallen into the midst of it. Selah.
7 (P)My (Q)heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
8 Awake, (R)my glory!
Awake, (S)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (T)I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the [h]nations.
10 For Your (U)lovingkindness is great to the heavens
And Your [i]truth to the clouds.
11 (V)Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
Joab Reproves David’s Lament
19 Then it was told Joab, “Behold, (A)the king is weeping and mourns for Absalom.” 2 The [a]victory that day was turned to mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day, “The king is grieved for his son.” 3 So the people went by stealth into the city that day, as people who are humiliated steal away when they flee in battle. 4 The king (B)covered his face and [b]cried out with a loud voice, “(C)O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 5 Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who today have saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines, 6 by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have shown today that [c]princes and servants are nothing to you; for I know this day that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then [d]you would be pleased. 7 Now therefore arise, go out and speak [e]kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go out, surely (D)not a man will pass the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”
David Restored as King
8 So the king arose and sat in the gate. When they told all the people, saying, “Behold, the king is (E)sitting in the gate,” then all the people came before the king.
Now (F)Israel had fled, each to his tent. 9 All the people were quarreling throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “(G)The king delivered us from the [f]hand of our enemies and (H)saved us from the [g]hand of the Philistines, but now (I)he has fled out of the land from Absalom. 10 However, Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now then, why are you silent about bringing the king back?”
11 Then King David sent to (J)Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, ‘Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the word of all Israel has come to the king, even to his house? 12 You are my brothers; (K)you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ 13 Say to (L)Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? (M)May God do so to me, and more also, if you will not be (N)commander of the army before me continually (O)in place of Joab.’” 14 Thus he turned the hearts of all the men of Judah (P)as one man, so that they sent word to the king, saying, “Return, you and all your servants.” 15 The king then returned and came as far as the Jordan. And Judah came to (Q)Gilgal in order to go to meet the king, to bring the king across the Jordan.
16 Then (R)Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite who was from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 There were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, with (S)Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they rushed to the Jordan before the king. 18 Then they kept crossing the ford to bring over the king’s household, and to do what was good in his sight. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan.
35 Jesus said to them, “(A)I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me (B)will never thirst. 36 But (C)I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 (D)All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 For (E)I have come down from heaven, (F)not to do My own will, but (G)the will of Him who (H)sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of (I)all that He has given Me I (J)lose nothing, but (K)raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who (L)beholds the Son and (M)believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will (N)raise him up on the last day.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.