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Psalm 124

1  If the Lord himself had not been on our side, ♦︎
   now may Israel say;
2  If the Lord had not been on our side, ♦︎
   when enemies rose up against us;
3  Then would they have swallowed us alive ♦︎
   when their anger burned against us;
4  Then would the waters have overwhelmed us
      and the torrent gone over our soul; ♦︎
   over our soul would have swept the raging waters.
5  But blessed be the Lord ♦︎
   who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
6  Our soul has escaped
      as a bird from the snare of the fowler; ♦︎
   the snare is broken and we are delivered.
7  Our help is in the name of the Lord, ♦︎
   who has made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125

1  Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, ♦︎
   which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.
2  As the hills stand about Jerusalem, ♦︎
   so the Lord stands round about his people,
      from this time forth for evermore.
3  The sceptre of wickedness shall not hold sway
      over the land allotted to the righteous, ♦︎
   lest the righteous turn their hands to evil.
4  Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, ♦︎
   and to those who are true of heart.
5  Those who turn aside to crooked ways
      the Lord shall take away with the evildoers; ♦︎
   but let there be peace upon Israel.

Psalm 126

1  When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, ♦︎
   then were we like those who dream.
2  Then was our mouth filled with laughter ♦︎
   and our tongue with songs of joy.
3  Then said they among the nations, ♦︎
   ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
4  The Lord has indeed done great things for us, ♦︎
   and therefore we rejoiced.
5  Restore again our fortunes, O Lord, ♦︎
   as the river beds of the desert.
6  Those who sow in tears ♦︎
   shall reap with songs of joy.
7  Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed, ♦︎
   will come back with shouts of joy,
      bearing their sheaves with them.

Psalm 127

1  Unless the Lord builds the house, ♦︎
   those who build it labour in vain.
2  Unless the Lord keeps the city, ♦︎
   the guard keeps watch in vain.
3  It is in vain that you hasten to rise up early
      and go so late to rest, eating the bread of toil, ♦︎
   for he gives his beloved sleep.
4  Children are a heritage from the Lord ♦︎
   and the fruit of the womb is his gift.
5  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, ♦︎
   so are the children of one’s youth.
6  Happy are those who have their quiver full of them: ♦︎
   they shall not be put to shame
      when they dispute with their enemies in the gate.

4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. ⁵She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. ⁶She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. ⁷I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.” ’ ⁸Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’ ⁹And she said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.’ Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites,^* that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, ¹³Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. ¹⁴Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him. ¹⁵And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic^* before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot, ¹⁶while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left.

17 Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. ¹⁸Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him, ‘Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.’ So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. ¹⁹Then he said to her, ‘Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.’ So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him. ²⁰He said to her, ‘Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, “Is anyone here?” say, “No.” ’ ²¹But Jael wife of Heber took a tent-peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground—he was lying fast asleep from weariness—and he died. ²²Then, as Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him, and said to him, ‘Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.’ So he went into her tent; and there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent-peg in his temple.

23 So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites.

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers^* (together the crowd numbered about one hundred and twenty people) and said, ¹⁶‘Friends,^* the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— ¹⁷for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.’ ¹⁸(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong,^* he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. ¹⁹This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰‘For it is written in the book of Psalms,
“Let his homestead become desolate,
   and let there be no one to live in it”;
and
“Let another take his position of overseer.”
²¹So one of the men who have accompanied us throughout the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²²beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.’ ²³So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵to take the place^* in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ ²⁶And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.