Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the chief Musician. On Jonathelem-rechokim. Of David. Michtam; when the Philistines took him in Gath.

56 Be gracious unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up: all the day long fighting he oppresseth me.

² Mine enemies would swallow [me] up all the day long; for they are many that fight against me haughtily.

³ In the day that I am afraid, I will confide in thee.

⁴ In God will I praise his word, in God I put my confidence: I will not fear; what can flesh do unto me?

⁵ All the day long they wrest my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶ They gather themselves together, they hide themselves; they mark my steps, because they wait for my soul.

⁷ Shall they escape by iniquity? In anger cast down the peoples, O God.

⁸ *Thou* countest my wanderings; put my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

⁹ Then shall mine enemies return backward in the day when I call: this I know, for God is for me.

¹⁰ In God will I praise [his] word; in Jehovah will I praise [his] word.

¹¹ In God have I put my confidence: I will not fear; what can man do unto me?

¹² Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render thanks unto thee.

¹³ For thou hast delivered my soul from death; [wilt thou] not [keep] my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

¹¹ And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond-tree.

¹² And Jehovah said unto me, Thou hast well seen; for I am watchful over my word to perform it.

¹³ And the word of Jehovah came to me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething-pot, and its face is from the north.

¹⁴ And Jehovah said unto me, Out of the north shall evil break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

¹⁵ For behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith Jehovah, and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah:

¹⁶ and I will pronounce my judgments against them for all their wickedness, in that they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

¹⁷ Thou, therefore, gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I shall command thee: be not dismayed at them, lest I cause thee to be dismayed before them.

¹⁸ And I, behold, I appoint thee this day as a strong city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls, against the whole land; against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land.

¹⁹ And they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee, saith Jehovah, to deliver thee.

⁴¹ And as he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it,

⁴² saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, even at least in this thy day, the things that are for thy peace: but now they are hid from thine eyes;

⁴³ for days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall make a palisaded mound about thee, and shall close thee around, and keep thee in on every side,

⁴⁴ and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children in thee; and shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou knewest not the season of thy visitation.