Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK 2
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the music 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, 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 I remember these things and (G)pour out my soul within me.
For I (H)used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God,
With a voice of (I)joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.
5 (J)Why are you [e](K)in despair, my soul?
And why are you (L)restless within me?
(M)Wait for God, for I will [f]again praise [g]Him
For the [h](N)help of His [i]presence, my God.
6 My soul is [j]in despair within me;
Therefore I (O)remember You from (P)the land of the Jordan
And the [k]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 passed over me.
8 The Lord will (S)send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me (T)in the night,
A prayer to (U)the God of my life.
9 I will say to God (V)my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go about (W)mourning [l]because of the (X)oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they (Y)say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 (Z)Why are you [m]in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise [n]Him
For the [o]help of His presence, my God.
Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law
18 Now (A)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took in Moses’ wife (B)Zipporah, after he had sent her away, 3 and her (C)two sons, [a]one of whom was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have been (D)a stranger in a foreign land.” 4 And [b]the other was named [c](E)Eliezer, for he said, “(F)The God of my father was my help, and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses [d]in the wilderness where he was camped, at (G)the mountain of God. 6 And he [e]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 about their welfare, and went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians (K)for Israel’s sake, all the (L)hardship that had confronted them on the journey, and how (M)the Lord had rescued them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced over all (N)the goodness which the Lord had done for Israel, [f]in rescuing [g]them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 So Jethro said, “(O)Blessed be the Lord who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that (P)the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, [h](Q)it was proven when they acted insolently 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 in view of your [a](C)participation 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 [b]among you will complete it [c]by (F)the day of Christ Jesus. 7 [d]For (G)it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I (H)have you in my heart, since both in my [e](I)imprisonment and in the (J)defense and confirmation of the (K)gospel, you all are [f]partakers of grace with me. 8 For (L)God is my witness, how I long for you all with the [g]affection of (M)Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that (N)your love may overflow still more and more in (O)real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may [h](P)discover the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and blameless for (Q)the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the (R)fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.
The Gospel Is Preached
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances (S)have turned out for the greater progress of the (T)gospel, 13 so that my [i](U)imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the [j]praetorian guard and to (V)everyone else, 14 and that most of the brothers and sisters, [k]trusting in the Lord because of my [l](W)imprisonment, have (X)far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.
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