Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 3

Confidence in Troubled Times

A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.^(A)

⁵ You are to respond by saying in the presence of the Lord your God:

My father was a wandering Aramean.^(A) He went down to Egypt with a few people and resided there as an alien.^(B) There he became a great, powerful, and populous nation. ⁶ But the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed us, and forced us to do hard labor. ⁷ So we called out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our cry and saw our misery, hardship, and oppression.^{(C) 8} Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying power, and with signs and wonders. ⁹ He led us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.^{(D) 10} I have now brought the first of the land’s produce that you, Lord, have given me.

You will then place the container before the Lord your God and bow down to him.

³² Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.^{(A) 33} Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way.^{(B) 34} For you sympathized with the prisoners^[a] and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, because you know that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.^{[b](C) 35} So don’t throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.^{(D) 36} For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.^(E)

³⁹ But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.