Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
(A)Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord (B)while I live;
I will (C)sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 (D)Do not trust in princes,
In [c]mortal (E)man, in whom there is (F)no salvation.
4 His (G)spirit departs, he (H)returns to [d]the earth;
In that very day his (I)thoughts perish.
5 How (J)blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose (K)hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who (L)made heaven and earth,
The (M)sea and all that is in them;
Who (N)keeps [e]faith forever;
7 Who (O)executes justice for the oppressed;
Who (P)gives food to the hungry.
The Lord (Q)sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord (R)opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord (S)raises up those who are bowed down;
The Lord (T)loves the righteous;
9 The Lord [f](U)protects the [g]strangers;
He [h](V)supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He [i]thwarts (W)the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will (X)reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
[j]Praise [k]the Lord!
3 A (A)poor man who oppresses the lowly
Is like a driving rain [a]which leaves no food.
4 Those who forsake the law (B)praise the wicked,
But those who keep the law (C)strive with them.
5 Evil men (D)do not understand justice,
But those who seek the Lord (E)understand all things.
6 (F)Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is [b]crooked though he be rich.
7 He who keeps the law is a discerning son,
But he who is a companion of (G)gluttons humiliates his father.
8 He who increases his wealth by (H)interest and usury
Gathers it (I)for him who is gracious to the poor.
9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,
Even his (J)prayer is an abomination.
10 He who leads the upright astray in an evil way
Will (K)himself fall into his own pit,
But the (L)blameless will inherit good.
Made Alive in Christ
2 And you [a]were (A)dead [b]in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you (B)formerly walked according to the [c]course of (C)this world, according to (D)the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in (E)the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all (F)formerly lived in (G)the lusts of our flesh, [d]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the [e]mind, and were (H)by nature (I)children of wrath, (J)even as the rest. 4 But God, being (K)rich in mercy, because of (L)His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were (M)dead [f]in our transgressions, made us alive together [g]with Christ ((N)by grace you have been saved), 6 and (O)raised us up with Him, and (P)seated us with Him in (Q)the heavenly places in (R)Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing (S)riches of His grace in (T)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For (U)by grace you have been saved (V)through faith; and [h]that not of yourselves, it is (W)the gift of God; 9 (X)not as a result of works, so that (Y)no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, (Z)created in (AA)Christ Jesus for (AB)good works, which God (AC)prepared beforehand so that we would (AD)walk in them.
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