Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Deliverance from Secret Enemies.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
64 Hear my voice, O God, in (A)my [a]complaint;
(B)Preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the (C)secret counsel of evildoers,
From the tumult of (D)those who do iniquity,
3 Who (E)have sharpened their tongue like a sword.
They (F)aimed bitter speech as their arrow,
4 To (G)shoot [b]from concealment at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him, and (H)do not fear.
5 They [c]hold fast to themselves an evil purpose;
They [d]talk of (I)laying snares secretly;
They say, “(J)Who can see them?”
6 They [e]devise injustices, saying,
“We are [f]ready with a well-conceived plot”;
For the [g](K)inward thought and the heart of a man are [h]deep.
7 But (L)God [i]will shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly [j]they will be wounded.
8 So [k]they [l]will (M)make him stumble;
(N)Their own tongue is against them;
All who see them will (O)shake the head.
9 Then all men [m]will (P)fear,
And they [n]will (Q)declare the work of God,
And [o]will consider [p]what He has done.
10 The righteous man will be (R)glad in the Lord and will (S)take refuge in Him;
And all the upright in heart will glory.
Bildad Speaks of the Wicked
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite [a]responded,
2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding and then we can talk.
3 “Why are we (A)regarded as beasts,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 “O [b]you who tear yourself in your anger—
For your sake is the earth to be abandoned,
Or the rock to be moved from its place?
5 “Indeed, the (B)light of the wicked goes out,
And the [c]flame of his fire gives no light.
6 “The light in his tent is (C)darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 “His [d]vigorous stride is shortened,
And his (D)own scheme brings him down.
8 “For he is (E)thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
9 “A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 “A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the path.
11 “All around (F)terrors frighten him,
And (G)harry him at every step.
12 “His strength is (H)famished,
And calamity is ready at his side.
13 “[e]His skin is devoured by disease,
The firstborn of death (I)devours his [f]limbs.
14 “He is (J)torn from [g]the security of his tent,
And [h]they march him before the king of (K)terrors.
15 “[i]There dwells in his tent nothing of his;
(L)Brimstone is scattered on his habitation.
16 “His (M)roots are dried below,
And his (N)branch is cut off above.
17 “(O)Memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 “[j]He is driven from light (P)into darkness,
And (Q)chased from the inhabited world.
19 “He has no (R)offspring or posterity among his people,
Nor any survivor where he sojourned.
20 “Those [k]in the west are appalled at (S)his [l]fate,
And those [m]in the east are seized with horror.
21 “Surely such are the (T)dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
The Wisdom of God
18 For the word of the cross is (A)foolishness to (B)those who [a]are perishing, but to us who [b]are being saved it is (C)the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“(D)I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”
20 (E)Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of (F)this age? Has not God (G)made foolish the wisdom of (H)the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God (I)the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, (J)God was well-pleased through the (K)foolishness of the [c]message preached to (L)save those who believe. 22 For indeed (M)Jews ask for [d]signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach [e](N)Christ crucified, (O)to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles (P)foolishness, 24 but to those who are (Q)the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (R)the power of God and (S)the wisdom of God. 25 Because the (T)foolishness of God is wiser than men, and (U)the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For [f]consider your (V)calling, brethren, that there were (W)not many wise according to [g]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but (X)God has chosen the foolish things of (Y)the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of (Z)the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of (AA)the world and the despised God has chosen, (AB)the things that are not, so that He may (AC)nullify the things that are, 29 so that (AD)no [h]man may boast before God. 30 But [i]by His doing you are in (AE)Christ Jesus, who became to us (AF)wisdom from God, [j]and (AG)righteousness and (AH)sanctification, and (AI)redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “(AJ)Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.