Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the Overcomer, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of Asaph.

¹ ¶ I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

² In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my sore bled in the night and ceased not; my soul refused to be comforted.

¹¹ ¶ I remembered the works of JAH; therefore I shall remember thy wonders of old.

¹² I meditated also on all thy works and spoke of thy doings.

¹³ Thy way, O God, is in holiness; who is so great a God as our God?

¹⁴ Thou art the God that doest wonders; thou hast declared thy strength among the peoples.

¹⁵ Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

¹⁶ The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid; the depths also were troubled.

¹⁷ The clouds poured out floods of waters; the heavens thundered; thy bolts of lightning also went forth.

¹⁸ The voice of thy thunder was all around; the lightnings lightened the world; the earth trembled and shook.

¹⁹ Thy way was in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps were not known.

²⁰ Thou didst lead thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

1 ¶ Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

² And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and was sick, and he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this disease.

³ But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and thou shalt say unto them, Is there no God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?

⁴ Now therefore, thus hath the LORD said, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

⁵ And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?

⁶ And they said unto him, We met a man who said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you and say unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Is there no God in Israel, that thou dost send to enquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

⁷ Then he said unto them, What manner of man was he who came up to meet you and told you these words?

⁸ And they answered him, He was a hairy man and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah, the Tishbite.

⁹ ¶ Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and, behold, he sat on the top of a mountain. And he spoke unto him, Man of God, the king has commanded thee to come down.

¹⁰ And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And fire came down from heaven, that consumed him and his fifty.

¹¹ Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.

¹² And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

⁸ ¶ However then, when ye did not know God, ye did service unto those who by nature are not gods.

⁹ But now, having known God, or rather being known of God, how do ye turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, in which ye desire again to be in slavery?

¹⁰ Ye observe days and months and times and years.

¹¹ I am afraid for you, lest I have bestowed labour upon you in vain.

¹² ¶ Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are; ye have not injured me at all.

¹³ Ye know how through weakness of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.

¹⁴ And my affliction which was in my flesh ye did not despise, nor reject but ye received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ Where is then the blessedness ye spoke of? for I bear you record that if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes and have given them to me.

¹⁶ Am I, therefore, become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

¹⁷ ¶ They are zealous after you, but not for good; they would exclude you from us, that ye might be zealous after them.

¹⁸ It is good to be always zealous to do good, and not only when I am present with you.

¹⁹ ¶ My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ is formed in you,

²⁰ I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice, for I stand in doubt of you.