Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
115 Glorify your name, not ours, O Lord! Cause everyone to praise your loving-kindness and your truth. 2 Why let the nations say, “Their God is dead!”[a]
3 For he is in the heavens and does as he wishes. 4 Their gods are merely man-made things of silver and of gold. 5 They can’t talk or see, despite their eyes and mouths! 6 Nor can they hear, nor smell, 7 nor use their hands or feet, nor speak! 8 And those who make and worship them are just as foolish as their idols are.
9 O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper. He is your shield. 10 O priests of Aaron, trust the Lord! He is your helper; he is your shield. 11 All of you, his people, trust in him. He is your helper; he is your shield.
12 Jehovah is constantly thinking about us, and he will surely bless us. He will bless the people of Israel and the priests of Aaron, 13 and all, both great and small, who reverence him.
14 May the Lord richly bless both you and your children. 15 Yes, Jehovah who made heaven and earth will personally bless you! 16 The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all mankind.
17 The dead cannot sing praises to Jehovah here on earth,[b] 18 but we can! We praise him forever! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
5 Then Deborah and Barak sang this song about the wonderful victory:
2 “Praise the Lord!
Israel’s leaders bravely led;
The people gladly followed!
Yes, bless the Lord!
3 Listen, O you kings and princes,
For I shall sing about the Lord,
The God of Israel.
4 When you led us out from Seir,
Out across the fields of Edom,
The earth trembled
And the sky poured down its rain.
5 Yes, even Mount Sinai quaked
At the presence of the God of Israel!
6 In the days of Shamgar and of Jael,
The main roads were deserted.
Travelers used the narrow, crooked side paths.
7 Israel’s population dwindled,
Until Deborah became a mother to Israel.
8 When Israel chose new gods,
Everything collapsed.
Our masters would not let us have
A shield or spear.
Among forty thousand men of Israel,
Not a weapon could be found!
9 How I rejoice
In the leaders of Israel
Who offered themselves so willingly!
Praise the Lord!
10 Let all Israel, rich and poor,
Join in his praises—
Those who ride on white donkeys
And sit on rich carpets,
And those who are poor and must walk.
11 The village musicians
Gather at the village well
To sing of the triumphs of the Lord.
Again and again they sing the ballad
Of how the Lord saved Israel
With an army of peasants!
The people of the Lord
Marched through the gates!
26 Well, my brothers, let’s add up what I am saying. When you meet together some will sing, another will teach, or tell some special information God has given him, or speak in an unknown language, or tell what someone else is saying who is speaking in the unknown language, but everything that is done must be useful to all, and build them up in the Lord. 27 No more than two or three should speak in an unknown language, and they must speak one at a time, and someone must be ready to interpret what they are saying. 28 But if no one is present who can interpret, they must not speak out loud. They must talk silently to themselves and to God in the unknown language but not publicly.
29-30 Two or three may prophesy, one at a time, if they have the gift, while all the others listen. But if, while someone is prophesying, someone else receives a message or idea from the Lord, the one who is speaking should stop. 31 In this way all who have the gift of prophecy can speak, one after the other, and everyone will learn and be encouraged and helped. 32 Remember that a person who has a message from God has the power to stop himself or wait his turn.[a] 33 God is not one who likes things to be disorderly and upset. He likes harmony, and he finds it in all the other churches.
34 Women should be silent during the church meetings. They are not to take part in the discussion, for they are subordinate to men[b] as the Scriptures also declare. 35 If they have any questions to ask, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to express their opinions in church meetings.
36 You disagree? And do you think that the knowledge of God’s will begins and ends with you Corinthians? Well, you are mistaken! 37 You who claim to have the gift of prophecy or any other special ability from the Holy Spirit should be the first to realize that what I am saying is a commandment from the Lord himself. 38 But if anyone still disagrees—well, we will leave him in his ignorance.[c]
39 So, my fellow believers, long to be prophets so that you can preach God’s message plainly; and never say it is wrong to “speak in tongues”; 40 however, be sure that everything is done properly in a good and orderly way.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.