Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
In the Shadow of Your Wings
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a (A)righteous cause, O Yahweh, (B)give heed to my cry of lamentation;
(C)Give ear to my prayer, which is not from (D)deceitful lips.
2 May (E)my [a]judgment come from Your presence;
May Your eyes behold (F)what is upright.
3 You have (G)tested my heart;
You have visited me by night;
You have (H)tried me and (I)You find [b]nothing;
I have (J)purposed that my mouth will not [c]transgress.
4 As for the deeds of men, (K)by the word of Your lips
I have kept from the (L)paths of the violent.
5 My (M)steps have held fast to Your [d]paths.
My (N)footsteps have not stumbled.
6 I have (O)called upon You, for You will answer me, O God;
(P)Incline Your ear to me, hear my speech.
7 (Q)Marvelously show Your lovingkindnesses,
O (R)Savior of those who take refuge [e]at Your right hand
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as [f]the (S)apple of the eye;
Hide me (T)in the shadow of Your wings
9 From the (U)wicked who devastate me,
My (V)deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have (W)closed their [g]unfeeling heart,
With their mouth they (X)speak proudly.
11 They have now (Y)surrounded us in our steps;
They set their eyes (Z)to cast us down to the ground.
12 He is (AA)like a lion that is eager to tear,
And as a young lion (AB)lurking in hiding places.
13 (AC)Arise, O Yahweh, confront him, (AD)bring him low;
(AE)Protect my soul from the wicked with (AF)Your sword,
14 From men with (AG)Your hand, O Yahweh,
From men [h]of the world, (AH)whose portion is in this life,
And whose belly You (AI)fill with Your treasure;
They are satisfied with children,
And leave their excess to their infants.
15 As for me, I shall (AJ)behold Your face in righteousness;
(AK)I will be satisfied [i]with Your (AL)likeness when I awake.
David Sins by Numbering Israel
21 (A)Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “(B)Go, count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their total count.” 3 But Joab said, “(C)May Yahweh add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” 4 Nevertheless, the king’s word stood strong against Joab. So, Joab went out and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave the total count of the [a]census of the people to David. And (D)all Israel were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword. 6 (E)But he did not [b]number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s [c]command was abominable to Joab.
7 And this thing was displeasing in the sight of God, so He struck Israel. 8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. (F)But now, please take away the iniquity of Your slave, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And Yahweh spoke to (G)Gad, David’s (H)seer, saying, 10 “Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I [d]am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do that to you.”’” 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Take for yourself 12 (I)either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your adversaries, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ So now, see what word I should return to Him who sent me.” 13 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me now fall into the hand of Yahweh, (J)for His compassions are exceedingly abundant. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
14 (K)So Yahweh [e]sent a pestilence against Israel; and 70,000 men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, Yahweh saw and [f](L)relented concerning the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough! Now relax your hand.” And the angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of [g]Ornan the Jebusite. 16 Then David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, (M)covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 And David said to God, “Is it not I who [h]commanded to number the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done a great evil; (N)but these sheep, what have they done? O Yahweh my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”
Jesus Christ Our Advocate
2 (A)My little children, I am (B)writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, (C)we have an [a](D)Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is (E)the [b]propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also (F)for those of the whole world.
3 (G)And by this we know that we have come to (H)know Him, if we (I)keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “(J)I have come to (K)know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a (L)liar, and (M)the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever (N)keeps His word, truly in him the (O)love of God has been perfected. (P)By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he (Q)abides in Him (R)ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
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