Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Protect Me from Conspiracies
Psalm 64
1 For the music director, a psalm of David.
2 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint.
Protect my life from terror of the enemy.
3 Hide me from the conspiracy of evildoers,
from the tumult of workers of iniquity,
4 who sharpened their tongue like a sword,
and aimed their arrow—bitter words,
5 to shoot from hiding at the innocent,
shooting suddenly at him, with no fear.
6 They are firming up their evil plan.
They talk about setting secret traps.
They asked, “Who would see them?”
7 They are plotting injustices:
“We have completed a perfect plot!”
A man’s inward part and heart are deep.
8 But God will shoot them with an arrow—
suddenly their wounds will appear.
9 So their tongue will be their downfall.
All who see them will flee away.
10 Then all men will fear.
So they will declare the work of God,
and ponder what He has done.
11 The righteous will be glad in Adonai and take refuge in Him.
Let all the upright in heart give glory!
Bildad Rebukes Job
18 Then, Bildad the Shuhite replied, saying:
2 “How long until you end these words?
Consider, and then we will talk.
3 Why are we regarded as beasts,
and stupid in your eyes?
4 You, who tear yourself to pieces in anger,
will the earth be abandoned for your sake?
Or must a rock be moved from its place?
5 Indeed, the light of the wicked is snuffed out;
the flame of his fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent grows dark;
the lamp above him goes out.
7 His vigorous stride is shortened,
and his own scheme throws him down.
8 For he is cast into a net by his feet;
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare holds him fast.
10 A rope is hidden for him on the ground,
and a trap for him lies on the path.
11 On every side terrors frighten him
and harass his every step.
12 Calamity is hungry for him;
disaster is ready for his fall.
13 It eats away pieces of his skin;
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.
14 He is torn from the security of his tent,
and marched off to the king of terrors.
15 Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
brimstone is scattered over his dwelling.
16 Below his roots dry up,
and above his branches wither.
17 His memory perishes from the earth
and he has no name in the land.
18 He is driven from light into darkness
and is banished from the world.
19 He has no offspring or descendant among his people,
no survivor where he once dwelt.
20 People of the west are appalled at his fate;
people of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked;
such is the place of one who does not know God.”
Whose Wisdom Is Foolish?
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and bring to nothing the understanding of the intelligent.”[a]
20 Where is the wise one? Where is the Torah scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of the world? [b] 21 For seeing that—in God’s wisdom—the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased—through the foolishness of the message proclaimed—to save those who believe. 22 For Jewish people ask for signs and Greek people seek after wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Messiah crucified—a stumbling block to Jewish people and foolishness to Gentile people, 24 but to those who are called (both Jewish and Greek people), Messiah, the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For you see your calling, brothers and sisters, that not many are wise according to human standards,[c] not many are powerful, and not many are born well. 27 Yet God chose the foolish things of the world so He might put to shame the wise; and God chose the weak things of the world so He might put to shame the strong; 28 and God chose the lowly and despised things of the world, the things that are as nothing, so He might bring to nothing the things that are— 29 so that no human might boast before God. 30 But because of Him you are in Messiah Yeshua, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and holiness and redemption— 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in Adonai.”[d]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.