Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
BOOK 3
The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.
A Psalm of Asaph.
73 Surely God is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
2 But as for me, (C)my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
3 For I was (D)envious of the [b]arrogant
As I saw the (E)prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their [c]body is fat.
5 They are (F)not [d]in trouble as other [e]men,
Nor are they (G)plagued [f]like mankind.
6 Therefore pride is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye [g]bulges from (J)fatness;
The imaginations of their heart [h]run riot.
8 They (K)mock and [i]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
9 They have (M)set their mouth [j]against the heavens,
And their tongue [k]parades through the earth.
10 Therefore [l]his people return to this place,
And waters of (N)abundance are [m]drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge [n]with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [o]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long
And [p](U)chastened every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)pondered to understand this,
It was [q]troublesome in my sight
17 Until I came into the [r](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their (Y)end.
18 Surely You set them in (Z)slippery places;
You cast them down to [s](AA)destruction.
19 How they are [t](AB)destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by (AC)sudden terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when (AE)aroused, You will (AF)despise their [u]form.
21 When my (AG)heart was embittered
And I was (AH)pierced [v]within,
22 Then I was (AI)senseless and ignorant;
I was like [w]a (AJ)beast [x]before You.
23 Nevertheless (AK)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will (AL)guide me,
And afterward (AM)receive me [y]to glory.
25 (AN)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And [z]besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (AO)flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the [aa]strength of my heart and my (AP)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (AQ)those who are far from You will (AR)perish;
You have [ab]destroyed all those who [ac](AS)are unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (AT)the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord [ad]God my (AU)refuge,
That I may (AV)tell of all Your works.
God Questions Job
6 Then the (A)Lord answered Job out of the storm and said,
7 “Now (B)gird up your loins like a man;
I will (C)ask you, and you instruct Me.
8 “Will you really (D)annul My judgment?
Will you (E)condemn Me (F)that you may be justified?
9 “Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you (G)thunder with a voice like His?
10 “(H)Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 “Pour out (I)the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is (J)proud, and make him low.
12 “Look on everyone who is proud, and (K)humble him,
And (L)tread down the wicked [a]where they stand.
13 “(M)Hide them in the dust together;
Bind [b]them in the hidden place.
14 “Then I will also [c]confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.
Job’s Confession
42 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
2 “I know that (A)You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that (B)hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things (C)too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
4 ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will (D)ask You, and You instruct me.’
5 “I have (E)heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my (F)eye sees You;
6 Therefore I retract,
And I repent in dust and ashes.”
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, (A)Satan has [a]demanded permission to (B)sift you like wheat; 32 but I (C)have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, (D)strengthen your brothers.” 33 (E)But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
Jesus’ Arrest
54 (A)Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but (B)Peter was following at a distance. 55 (C)After they had kindled a fire in the middle of (D)the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. 56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.” 58 A little later, (E)another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, (F)for he is a Galilean too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 (G)The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “(H)Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
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