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Psalm 24

1  The earth is the Lord’s and all that fills it, ♦︎
   the compass of the world and all who dwell therein.
2  For he has founded it upon the seas ♦︎
   and set it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
3  ‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, ♦︎
   or who can rise up in his holy place?’
4  ‘Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, ♦︎
   who have not lifted up their soul to an idol,
      nor sworn an oath to a lie;
5  ‘They shall receive a blessing from the Lord, ♦︎
   a just reward from the God of their salvation.’
6  Such is the company of those who seek him, ♦︎
   of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
7  Lift up your heads, O gates;
      be lifted up, you everlasting doors; ♦︎
   and the King of glory shall come in.
8  ‘Who is the King of glory?’ ♦︎
   ‘The Lord, strong and mighty,
      the Lord who is mighty in battle.’
9  Lift up your heads, O gates;
      be lifted up, you everlasting doors; ♦︎
   and the King of glory shall come in.
10  ‘Who is this King of glory?’ ♦︎
   ‘The Lord of hosts,
      he is the King of glory.’

Balaam’s Third Oracle

24Now Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face towards the wilderness. ²Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him, ³and he uttered his oracle, saying:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
   the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,^*
4 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
   who sees the vision of the Almighty,^*
   who falls down, but with eyes uncovered:
⁵ how fair are your tents, O Jacob,
   your encampments, O Israel!
⁶ Like palm groves that stretch far away,
   like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,
   like cedar trees beside the waters.
⁷ Water shall flow from his buckets,
   and his seed shall have abundant water,
his king shall be higher than Agag,
   and his kingdom shall be exalted.
⁸ God, who brings him out of Egypt,
   is like the horns of a wild ox for him;
he shall devour the nations that are his foes
   and break their bones.
   He shall strike with his arrows.^*
9 He crouched, he lay down like a lion,
   and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
   and cursed is everyone who curses you.’

10 Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, ‘I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. ¹¹Now be off with you! Go home! I said, “I will reward you richly”, but the Lord has denied you any reward.’ ¹²And Balaam said to Balak, ‘Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ¹³“If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the Lord says, that is what I will say”? ¹⁴So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come.’

Balaam’s Fourth Oracle

15 So he uttered his oracle, saying:
‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
   the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,^*
16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
   and knows the knowledge of the Most High,^*
who sees the vision of the Almighty,^*
   who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:
¹⁷ I see him, but not now;
   I behold him, but not near—
a star shall come out of Jacob,
   and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the borderlands^* of Moab,
   and the territory^* of all the Shethites.
¹⁸ Edom will become a possession,
   Seir a possession of its enemies,^*
   while Israel does valiantly.
¹⁹ One out of Jacob shall rule,
   and destroy the survivors of Ir.’

20 Then he looked on Amalek, and uttered his oracle, saying:
‘First among the nations was Amalek,
but its end is to perish for ever.’

21 Then he looked on the Kenite, and uttered his oracle, saying:
‘Enduring is your dwelling-place,
   and your nest is set in the rock;
²² yet Kain is destined for burning.
   How long shall Asshur take you away captive?’

23 Again he uttered his oracle, saying:
‘Alas, who shall live when God does this?
²⁴   But ships shall come from Kittim
and shall afflict Asshur and Eber;
   and he also shall perish for ever.’

25 Then Balaam got up and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.

Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac

26 Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes,^* which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn^* no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’— ²⁹for Jesus^* had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) ³⁰Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him. ³¹They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

32 Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons^* begged Jesus^* to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. ³⁷Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes^* asked Jesus^* to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus^* sent him away, saying, ³⁹‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.