Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 60[a]
Prayer To End Wars
1 For the director.[b] According to “The Lily of. . . .” A miktam of David (for teaching), 2 when he fought against Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah; and when Joab, coming back, slew twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
3 O God, you have turned away from us
and left us defenseless.
Although your anger was aroused,
now come to our aid.
4 You shook the earth[c] and split it apart;
repair its cracks, for it continues to shake.
5 You have inflicted hardships on your people;
you have given us wine that made us stagger.[d]
6 But for those who fear you,
you have raised up a banner
to unfurl against the bow.[e] Selah
7 [f]With your right hand come to our aid and answer us
so that those you love may be delivered.
8 [g]God has promised from his sanctuary,
“In triumph I will apportion Shechem
and measure out the Valley of Succoth.
9 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,[h]
Judah is my scepter.
10 Moab is my washbasin;[i]
upon Edom I will plant my sandal;
over Philistia I will shout in triumph.”
11 [j]Who will lead me into the fortified city?[k]
Who will guide me into Edom?
12 Is it not you, O God, who have rejected us
and no longer go forth with our armies?
13 Grant us your help against our enemies,
for any human assistance is worthless.
14 With God’s help we will be victorious,
for he will overwhelm our foes.
Chapter 12
Israel Ever Deceitful
1 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit.
But Judah still remains aligned with God
and is faithful to the Holy One.
2 Ephraim chases the wind,
ever pursuing the east wind throughout the day.
Numerous are his lies and treachery;
he makes a treaty with Assyria
while sending oil to Egypt.
3 The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah;
he will punish Jacob as his conduct deserves;
he will requite him according to his deeds.
4 While still in the womb he supplanted his brother,
and as a man he struggled with God.
5 He contended with the angel and prevailed;
he wept and entreated his favor.
He met God at Bethel
and spoke with him there.
6 The Lord, the God of hosts,
the Lord is his name.
7 Turn back with God’s help;
remain loyal and act justly,
and always put your trust in him.
8 Merchants use dishonest scales,
for they love to defraud.
9 Ephraim says,
“I have become very rich;
I have made a fortune.”
But all his wealth will avail him nothing
because of the guilt incurred by his sin.
10 I am the Lord, your God
who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
I will make you live in tents yet again
as in the days of the appointed festival.
11 I spoke to the prophets,
to whom I granted many visions
and through whom I will speak in parables.
12 Gilead is a hotbed of iniquity;
the people there are worthless.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;
their altars are like piles of stones
on a plowed field.
13 Jacob fled to the country of Aram;
Israel did service to obtain a wife,
paying for her by tending sheep.
14 By a prophet[a] the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt,
and by a prophet they were protected.
18 The Christian Family.[a]Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not treat them harshly. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children lest they lose heart.
22 Slaves and Masters. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only when you are being observed or in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, out of reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, as if you were doing it for the Lord and not for others, 24 since you know that you will receive from the Lord an inheritance as your reward for you are serving the Lord Christ. 25 But anyone who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done. There will not be any favoritism shown.
Chapter 4
1 Masters, be just and fair in your treatment of your slaves, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
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