Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
106 Hallelujah!
Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.
2 Who can speak about all the mighty things the Lord has done?
Who can announce all the things for which he is worthy of praise?
3 Blessed are those who defend justice
and do what is right at all times.
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people.
Come to help me with your salvation
5 so that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
find joy in our people’s happiness,
and brag with the people who belong to you.
6 We have sinned, and so did our ancestors.
We have done wrong.
We are guilty.
7 When our ancestors were in Egypt,
they gave no thought to your miracles.
They did not remember your numerous acts of mercy,
so they rebelled at the sea, the Red Sea.
8 He saved them because of his reputation
so that he could make his mighty power known.
9 He angrily commanded the Red Sea, and it dried up.
He led them through deep water as though it were a desert.
10 He rescued them from the power of the one who hated them.
He rescued them from the enemy.
11 Water covered their adversaries.
Not one Egyptian survived.
12 Then our ancestors believed what he said.
They sang his praise.
12 Get up! Get up, Deborah!
Get up! Get up and create a song!
Barak, attack! Take your prisoners, son of Abinoam.
13 Then those mighty men who were left came down.
The Lord’s people went into battle for me against the mighty soldiers.
14 Those who had settled in Amalek’s country
came down from Ephraim.
Benjamin came with its troops
after Ephraim.
Commanders from Machir went into battle.
The officers from Zebulun also went.
15 Issachar’s commanders were with Deborah.
They were also with Barak,
sent into the valley under his command.
Among Reuben’s divisions important men had second thoughts.
16 Why did you sit between the saddlebags?
Was it to listen to the shepherds playing their flutes?
Reuben’s divisions of important men had second thoughts.
17 Gilead remained east of the Jordan River.
And Dan … Why did he stay by the ships?
Asher sat on the seashore and remained along the inlets.
18 But Zebulun mocked death,
and Naphtali risked his life on the battlefield.
19 Kings came and fought.
Then the kings of Canaan fought.
They fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.
But they didn’t carry off any rich loot.
20 The stars fought from heaven.
They fought against Sisera from their heavenly paths.
21 The Kishon River swept them away—
that old river, the Kishon.
I must march on with strength!
Conclusion
13 I’ve written this to those who believe in the Son of God so that they will know that they have eternal life.
14 We are confident that God listens to us if we ask for anything that has his approval. 15 We know that he listens to our requests. So we know that we already have what we ask him for.
16 If you see another believer committing a sin that doesn’t lead to death, you should pray that God would give that person life. This is true for those who commit sins that don’t lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I’m not telling you to pray about that. 17 Every kind of wrongdoing is sin, yet there are sins that don’t lead to death.
18 We know that those who have been born from God don’t go on sinning. Rather, the Son of God protects them, and the evil one can’t harm them.
19 We know that we are from God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
20 We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we know the real God. We are in the one who is real, his Son Jesus Christ. This Jesus Christ is the real God and eternal life.
21 Dear children, guard yourselves from false gods.
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