Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 118

Psalm 145^[a]

A psalm of praise. Of David.

¹⁵ Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’^(A) when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time^(B) you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.^(C)” ¹⁶ With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.

¹⁷ So he told her everything.^(D) “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite^(E) dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”

¹⁸ When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines^(F), “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.^{(G) 19} After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him.^[a] And his strength left him.^(H)

²⁰ Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”^(I)

He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him.^(J)

²¹ Then the Philistines^(K) seized him, gouged out his eyes^(L) and took him down to Gaza.^(M) Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain^(N) in the prison. ²² But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.

The Death of Samson

²³ Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon^(O) their god and to celebrate, saying, “Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands.”

²⁴ When the people saw him, they praised their god,^(P) saying,

²⁵ While they were in high spirits,^(R) they shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them.

When they stood him among the pillars, ²⁶ Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” ²⁷ Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof^(S) were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. ²⁸ Then Samson prayed to the Lord,^(T) “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge^(U) on the Philistines for my two eyes.” ²⁹ Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, ³⁰ Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

³¹ Then his brothers and his father’s whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah^(V) his father. He had led^[b](W) Israel twenty years.^(X)

Final Warnings

13 This will be my third visit to you.^(A) “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”^{[a](B) 2} I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent:^(C) On my return I will not spare^(D) those who sinned earlier^(E) or any of the others, ³ since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me.^(F) He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. ⁴ For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness,^(G) yet he lives by God’s power.^(H) Likewise, we are weak^(I) in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him^(J) in our dealing with you.

⁵ Examine yourselves^(K) to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.^(L) Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you^(M)—unless, of course, you fail the test? ⁶ And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. ⁷ Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ We are glad whenever we are weak^(N) but you are strong;^(O) and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.^{(P) 10} This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh^(Q) in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.^(R)

Final Greetings

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters,^(S) rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace.^(T) And the God of love^(U) and peace^(V) will be with you.

²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding^(A) for twelve years. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸ because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes,^(B) I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.^(C)

³⁰ At once Jesus realized that power^(D) had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

³² But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. ³⁴ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.^(E) Go in peace^(F) and be freed from your suffering.”