Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer of an afflicted one for mercy on himself and on Zion.
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he [a]is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before Jehovah.
102 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah,
And let my cry come unto thee.
2 Hide not thy face from me in the day of my distress:
Incline thine ear unto me;
In the day when I call answer me speedily.
3 For my days consume away [b]like smoke,
And my bones are burned [c]as a firebrand.
4 My heart is smitten like grass, and withered;
For I forget to eat my bread.
5 By reason of the voice of my groaning
My bones cleave to my flesh.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am become as an owl of the waste places.
7 I watch, and am become like a sparrow
That is alone upon the house-top.
8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day;
They that are mad against me do curse by me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath:
For thou hast taken me up, and cast me away.
11 My days are like a shadow that [d]declineth;
And I am withered like grass.
12 But thou, O Jehovah, [e]wilt abide for ever;
And thy memorial name unto all generations.
13 Thou wilt arise, and have mercy upon Zion;
For it is time to have pity upon her,
Yea, the set time is come.
14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones,
And have pity upon her dust.
15 So the nations shall fear the name of Jehovah,
And all the kings of the earth thy glory.
16 For Jehovah hath built up Zion;
He hath appeared in his glory.
17 He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute,
And hath not despised their prayer.
8 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye [a]cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith Jehovah. 10 For thus saith Jehovah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you [b]hope in your latter end. 12 And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found of you, saith Jehovah, and I will [c]turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith Jehovah; and I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
15 Because ye have said, Jehovah hath raised us up prophets in Babylon; 16 thus saith Jehovah concerning the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and concerning all the people that dwell in this city, your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity; 17 thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18 And I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be [d]tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an execration, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them; 19 because they have not hearkened to my words, saith Jehovah, wherewith I sent unto them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith Jehovah. 20 Hear ye therefore the word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie unto you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes; 22 and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah that are in Babylon, saying, Jehovah make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire; 23 because they have wrought folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I commanded them not; and I am he that knoweth, and am witness, saith Jehovah.
24 And as he thus made his defence, Festus saith with a loud voice, Paul, thou art mad; thy much learning [a]is turning thee mad. 25 But Paul saith, I am not mad, most excellent Festus; but speak forth words of truth and soberness. 26 For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28 And Agrippa said unto Paul, [b]With but little persuasion thou wouldest fain make me a Christian. 29 And Paul said, I would to God, that [c]whether with little or with much, not thou only, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except these bonds.
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