Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
12 [a]Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.[b]
13 [c]The Lord gazes down from heaven
and beholds the entire human race.
14 From his royal throne
he watches all who dwell on the earth.
15 He who has fashioned the hearts of them all
observes everything they do.
16 A king is not saved by a large army,
nor is a warrior delivered by great strength.
17 A horse offers false hope for victory;
despite its power it cannot save.
18 [d]But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those who trust in his kindness,
19 to deliver them from death
and to preserve their lives in time of famine.
20 [e]Our soul waits in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
21 Our hearts rejoice in him
because we trust in his holy name.
22 O Lord, let your kindness rest upon us,
for we have placed our hope in you.
Job’s Sixth Response[a]
Chapter 21
The Very Thought of My Plight Fills Me with Horror.[b] 1 Job then answered with these words:
2 “Listen carefully to my words;
at the very least, grant me this consolation.
3 Bear with me while I speak;
once I have finished, you may jeer.
4 “Is my complaint limited to my fellow men?
Do I not have good reason to be impatient?
5 If you consider my plight carefully,
you will have good reason to be appalled
and to place your hand over your mouth.
6 The very thought of it fills me with horror,
and my entire body shudders.
Why Do the Wicked Continue To Survive?[c]
7 “Why do the wicked continue to survive,
achieving old age and increasing in power?
8 They behold their children established around them
and their descendants continuing to flourish.
9 Their households are secure, with no cause for fear;
the rod of God does not descend upon them.
10 Their bulls breed without fail;
their cows give birth without miscarriage.
11 “The wicked send forth children as a flock;
their little ones dance and frolic.
12 They sing to the sound of the tambourine and the harp
and rejoice at the playing of the flute.
13 They spend their days in prosperity
and go down to the netherworld in peace.
They Say to God, “Leave Us Alone!”
14 “Despite this, these people say to God,
‘Leave us alone!
We do not want to learn your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty that we should serve him?
And what would we gain by praying to him?’
16 Is not the prosperity of the wicked
the result of their own efforts,
since they have never sought God’s help?
The Lot of the Jewish People[a]
Chapter 9
Paul’s Love for Israel. 1 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying, as my conscience bears witness for me through the Holy Spirit 2 that I have great sorrow and unending anguish in my heart. 3 I would even be willing to be accursed, cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren who are my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites[b] who have the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the Law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, came the Christ, God forever, who is over all.[c] Amen.
The Word of God Has Not Proved False. 6 It is not as though the word of God has proved false. For not all who were Israelites truly belong to Israel, 7 and not all of Abraham’s children are his true descendants. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that descendants will bear your name.”
8 In other words, it is not through physical descent that people are regarded as children of God. Rather, the children of the promise are those who are counted as descendants. 9 For this is how the promise was worded: “About this time next year I shall return, and Sarah will have a son.”
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