Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK 2
My Soul Thirsts for God
For the choir director. A [a]Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer [b]pants for the water brooks,
So my soul [c](A)pants for You, O God.
2 My soul (B)thirsts for God, for the (C)living God;
When shall I come and [d](D)appear before God?
3 My (E)tears have been my food day and night,
While they (F)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember and I (G)pour out my soul within me.
For I (H)used to go along with the throng and [e]lead them in procession to the house of God,
With the sound of a (I)shout of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 (J)Why are you [f](K)in despair, O my soul?
And why are you (L)disturbed within me?
(M)Wait for God, for I shall still praise Him,
[g]For the [h](N)salvation of His presence.
6 O my God, my soul is [i]in despair within me;
Therefore I (O)remember You from (P)the land of the Jordan
And the [j]peaks of (Q)Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your (R)breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.
8 By day, Yahweh will (S)command His lovingkindness;
And (T)by night, His song will be with me,
A prayer to (U)the God of my life.
9 I say to God (V)my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go (W)mourning [k]because of the (X)oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries reproach me,
While they (Y)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 (Z)Why are you [l]in despair, O my soul?
And why are you disturbed within me?
Wait for God, for I shall still praise Him,
The salvation of my presence and my God.
Jethro’s Counsel
18 Now (A)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife (B)Zipporah, after he had sent her away, 3 and her (C)two sons, of whom [a]one was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have been (D)a [b]sojourner in a foreign land.” 4 [c]And the other was named [d](E)Eliezer, for he said, “(F)The God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses [e]in the wilderness where he was camped, at (G)the mount of God. 6 And he [f]sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.” 7 Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and (H)he bowed down and (I)kissed him; and they (J)asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 And Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians (K)for Israel’s sake, all the (L)hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how (M)Yahweh had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced over all (N)the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel, that He had delivered [g]them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 So Jethro said, “(O)Blessed be Yahweh who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that (P)Yahweh is greater than all the gods; [h]for (Q)in this matter they acted presumptuously against [i]the people.” 12 (R)Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat [j]a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
3 (A)I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in (B)my every prayer for you all, 5 because of your [a](C)fellowship in the (D)gospel (E)from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until (F)the day of Christ Jesus. 7 [b]For (G)it is only right for me to think this way about you all, because I (H)have you in my heart, since both in my (I)chains and in the (J)defense and confirmation of the (K)gospel, you all are fellow partakers with me in this grace. 8 For (L)God is my witness, how I long for you all with the [c]affection of (M)Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that (N)your love may abound still more and more in (O)full knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may [d](P)approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and without fault [e]until (Q)the day of Christ, 11 having been filled with the (R)fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
The Progress of the Gospel
12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances (S)have turned out for the greater progress of the (T)gospel, 13 so that my (U)chains in Christ have become well known throughout the whole [f]praetorian guard and to (V)everyone else, 14 and that most of the [g]brothers, having become confident in the Lord because of my (W)chains, have (X)far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
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