Psalm 88

1 O LORD, God of my salvation,

when, at night, I cry out in your presence,

2 let my prayer come before you;

incline your ear to my cry.

3 For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

4 I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;

I am like those who have no help,

5 like those forsaken among the dead,

like the slain that lie in the grave,

like those whom you remember no more,

for they are cut off from your hand.

6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit,

in the regions dark and deep.

7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

and you overwhelm me with all your waves.

Selah

8 You have caused my companions to shun me;

you have made me a thing of horror to them.

I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Every day I call on you, O LORD;

I spread out my hands to you.

10 Do you work wonders for the dead?

Do the shades rise up to praise you?

Selah

11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,

or your faithfulness in Abaddon?

12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,

or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But I, O LORD, cry out to you;

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

14 O LORD, why do you cast me off?

Why do you hide your face from me?

15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up,

I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.

16 Your wrath has swept over me;

your dread assaults destroy me.

17 They surround me like a flood all day long;

from all sides they close in on me.

18 You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me;

my companions are in darkness.

Psalm 148

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

praise him in the heights!

2 Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his host!

3 Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all you shining stars!

4 Praise him, you highest heavens,

and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for he commanded and they were created.

6 He established them forever and ever;

he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,

you sea monsters and all deeps,

8 fire and hail, snow and frost,

stormy wind fulfilling his command!

9 Mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars!

10 Wild animals and all cattle,

creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,

princes and all rulers of the earth!

12 Young men and women alike,

old and young together!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for his name alone is exalted;

his glory is above earth and heaven.

14 He has raised up a horn for his people,

praise for all his faithful,

for the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

19Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, "The Hebrews must not make swords or spears for themselves"; 20so all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen their ploughshares, mattocks, axes, or sickles; 21The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the ploughshares and for the mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.22So on the day of the battle neither sword nor spear was to be found in the possession of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

23Now a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass of Michmash.

1One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armour, "Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side." But he did not tell his father. 2Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that is at Migron; the troops that were with him were about six hundred men, 3along with Ahijah son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, son of Phinehas son of Eli, the priest of the LORD in Shiloh, carrying an ephod. Now the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4In the pass, by which Jonathan tried to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on one side and a rocky crag on the other; the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5One crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

6Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armour, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will act for us; for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few." 7His armor-bearer said to him, "Do all that your mind inclines to. I am with you; as your mind is, so is mine." 8Then Jonathan said, "Now we will cross over to those men and will show ourselves to them. 9If they say to us, 'Wait until we come to you', then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. 10But if they say, 'Come up to us', then we will go up; for the LORD has given them into our hand. That will be the sign for us." 11So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines; and the Philistines said, "Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves." 12The men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armour-bearer, saying, 'Come up to us, and we will show you something.' Jonathan said to his armour-bearer, 'Come up after me; for the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel.' 13Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer following after him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armour-bearer, coming after him, killed them. 14In that first slaughter Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed about twenty men within an area about half a furrow long in an acre of land. 15There was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison and even the raiders trembled; the earth quaked; and it became a very great panic.

1Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." 7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

26As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. 28But Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the days are surely coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.' 30Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' 31For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

Psalm 6

1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger,

or discipline me in your wrath.

2 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;

O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.

3 My soul also is struck with terror,

while you, O LORD - how long?

4 Turn, O LORD, save my life;

deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.

5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;

in Sheol who can give you praise?

6 I am weary with my moaning;

every night I flood my bed with tears;

I drench my couch with my weeping.

7 My eyes waste away because of grief;

they grow weak because of all my foes.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,

for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.

9 The LORD has heard my supplication;

the LORD accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror;

they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.

Psalm 20

1 The LORD answer you in the day of trouble!

The name of the God of Jacob protect you!

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,

and give you support from Zion.

3 May he remember all your offerings,

and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah

4 May he grant your heart's desire

and fulfill all your plans.

5 May we shout for joy over your victory,

and in the name of our God set up our banners.

May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with mighty victories by his right hand.

7 Some tak pride in chariots, and some in horses,

but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God.

8 They will collapse and fall,

but we shall rise and stand upright.

9 Give victory to the king, O LORD;

answer us when we call.