Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Thanksgiving for Jehovah’s saving goodness.
118 Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now say,
That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
14 [a]Jehovah is my strength and song;
And he is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous:
The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of Jehovah is exalted:
The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of [b]Jehovah.
18 [c]Jehovah hath chastened me sore;
But he hath not given me over unto death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness:
I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto [d]Jehovah.
20 This is the gate of Jehovah;
The righteous shall enter into it.
21 I will give thanks unto thee; for thou hast answered me,
And art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Is become the head of the corner.
23 This is [e]Jehovah’s doing;
It is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which Jehovah hath made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And he turned in unto her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. 20 And he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. 21 Then Jael Heber’s wife took a tent-pin, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground; for he was [a]in a deep sleep; so he swooned and died. 22 And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest. And he came unto her; and, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent-pin was in his temples.
23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
24 Blessed [a]above women shall Jael be,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
Blessed shall she be [b]above women in the tent.
25 He asked water, and she gave him milk;
She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
26 She put her hand to the tent-pin,
And her right hand to the workmen’s hammer;
And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head;
Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.
27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay;
At her feet he bowed, he fell:
Where he bowed, there he fell down [c]dead.
28 Through the window she looked forth, and cried,
The mother of Sisera cried through the lattice,
Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the [d]wheels of his chariots?
29 Her wise ladies answered her,
[e]Yea, she returned answer to herself,
30 Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil?
A damsel, two damsels to every man;
To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments,
A spoil of dyed garments embroidered,
Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil?
31 So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah:
But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might.
And the land had rest forty years.
12 And a great sign was seen in heaven: a woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she crieth out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be delivered. 3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads seven diadems. 4 And his tail draweth the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon standeth before the woman that is about to be delivered, that when she is delivered he may devour her child. 5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the [a]nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; 8 and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole [b]world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. 10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying,
[c]Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and ye that [d]dwell in them. Woe for the earth and for the sea: because the devil is gone down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
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