Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.

¹ ¶ I shall cry unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice shall I ask the LORD for mercy.

² I shall pour out my complaint before him; before him I shall tell of my trouble.

³ When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou didst know my path. In the way in which I walked have they secretly laid a snare for me.

⁴ ¶ I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no one that would know me; I had no refuge; no one cared for my soul.

⁵ I cried unto thee, O LORD; I said, Thou art my hope and my portion in the land of the living.

⁶ Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

⁷ Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name; the righteous shall feast with me; when thou shalt have weaned me.

¹⁷ Because the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be on the vines; the labour of the olive shall lie, and the cultivated fields shall yield no food; the sheep shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will joy in the God of my saving health.

¹⁹ The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and upon my high places he will cause me to walk victorious in my instruments of music.

¹¹ ¶ And as they heard these things, he added and spoke a parable because he was near to Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately be manifested.

¹² He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

¹³ And having called ten of his slaves, he delivered them ten minas and said unto them, Trade until I come.

¹⁴ But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

¹⁵ And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these slaves to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much each one had gained by trading.

¹⁶ Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy mina has gained ten minas.

¹⁷ And he said unto him, Well done, thou good slave; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, thou shalt have authority over ten cities.

¹⁸ And the second came, saying, Lord, thy mina has made five minas.

¹⁹ And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

²⁰ And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy mina, which I have kept laid up in a napkin,

²¹ for I feared thee because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that which thou didst not lay down and dost reap that which thou didst not sow.

²² Then he said unto him, Out of thine own mouth I will judge thee, thou wicked slave. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that which I did not lay down, and reaping that which I did not sow;

²³ why then didst thou not give my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required my own with interest?

²⁴ And he said unto those that stood by, Take from him the mina and give it to him that has the ten minas.

²⁵ (And they said unto him, Lord, he has ten minas.)

²⁶ For I say unto you, That unto every one who has shall be given; and from him that has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him.

²⁷ Moreover, those enemies of mine, who were unwilling that I should reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.