Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
41 Lord, show me your love,
and save me as you have promised.
42 I have an answer for people who insult me,
because I trust what you say.
43 Never keep me from speaking your truth,
because I depend on your fair laws.
44 I will obey your teachings
forever and ever.
45 So I will live in freedom,
because I want to follow your orders.
46 I will discuss your rules with kings
and will not be ashamed.
47 I enjoy obeying your commands,
which I love.
48 I praise your commands, which I love,
and I think about your demands.
16 People may make plans in their minds,
but only the Lord can make them come true.
2 You may believe you are doing right,
but the Lord will judge your reasons.
3 Depend on the Lord in whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
4 The Lord makes everything go as he pleases.
He has even prepared a day of disaster for evil people.
5 The Lord hates those who are proud.
They will surely be punished.
6 Love and truth bring forgiveness of sin.
By respecting the Lord you will avoid evil.
7 When people live so that they please the Lord,
even their enemies will make peace with them.
8 It is better to be poor and right
than to be wealthy and dishonest.
9 People may make plans in their minds,
but the Lord decides what they will do.
10 The words of a king are like a message from God,
so his decisions should be fair.
11 The Lord wants honest balances and scales;
all the weights are his work.
12 Kings hate those who do wrong,
because governments only continue if they are fair.
13 Kings like honest people;
they value someone who speaks the truth.
14 An angry king can put someone to death,
so a wise person will try to make him happy.
15 A smiling king can give people life;
his kindness is like a spring shower.
16 It is better to get wisdom than gold,
and to choose understanding rather than silver!
17 Good people stay away from evil.
By watching what they do, they protect their lives.
18 Pride leads to destruction;
a proud attitude brings ruin.
19 It is better to be humble and be with those who suffer
than to share stolen property with the proud.
20 Whoever listens to what is taught will succeed,
and whoever trusts the Lord will be happy.
A Rich Young Man’s Question
16 A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have life forever?”
17 Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good? Only God is good. But if you want to have life forever, obey the commands.”
18 The man asked, “Which commands?”
Jesus answered, “‘You must not murder anyone; you must not be guilty of adultery; you must not steal; you must not tell lies about your neighbor; 19 honor your father and mother;[a] and love your neighbor as you love yourself.’”[b]
20 The young man said, “I have obeyed all these things. What else do I need to do?”
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, then go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. If you do this, you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.”
22 But when the young man heard this, he left sorrowfully, because he was rich.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.