Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.

Aleph

¹ ¶ I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Beth

² My soul shall glory in the LORD; the meek shall hear of this, and be glad.

Gimel

³ O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Daleth

⁴ I sought the LORD, and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.

He

⁵ They looked unto him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed.

Vau

⁶ This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

Zain

⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps round about those that fear him and delivers them.

Cheth

⁸ O taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man that shall trust in him.

Koph

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD shall deliver him out of them all,

Resh

²⁰ keeping all his bones; not one of them shall be broken.

Schin

²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked; and those that hate the righteous shall be declared guilty.

Tau

²² The LORD ransoms the soul of his slaves, and none of those that trust in him shall be declared guilty.

¹² ¶ At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and presents unto Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

¹³ And Hezekiah hearkened unto them and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious ointment and all the house of his weapons and all that was found in his treasury; there was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

¹⁴ Then Isaiah, the prophet, came unto King Hezekiah and said unto him, What did these men say, and where did they come from unto thee? And Hezekiah replied, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.

¹⁵ And he said, What have they seen in thy house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in my house they have seen; there is nothing among my treasury that I have not showed them.

¹⁶ Then Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.

¹⁷ Behold, the days come that all that is in thy house and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day shall be carried into Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.

¹⁸ And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, they shall take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, The word of the LORD which thou hast spoken is good. And he said, For shall there not be peace and truth in my days?

7 ¶ For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

² to whom Abraham also gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of peace;

³ without father, without mother, without lineage, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually.

⁴ Now consider how great this one was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

⁵ And verily those that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they also have come out of the loins of Abraham;

⁶ but he whose descent is not counted in those took tithes from Abraham and blessed him that had the promises.

⁷ And without any contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

⁸ In the same manner, here men that die take tithes; but there he received them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

⁹ And as I may so say, Levi also, who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham.

¹⁰ For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.