Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Davidic instruction.[a]
The Blessings of Forgiveness
32 How blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 How blessed is the person against whom the Lord does not charge iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent about my sin,[b]
my body[c] wasted away
by my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night;
my strength was exhausted
as in a summer drought.
5 My sin I acknowledged to you;
my iniquity I did not hide.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin!
6 Therefore every godly person should pray to you at such a time.[d]
Surely a flood of great waters will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will deliver me from trouble
and surround me with shouts of deliverance.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
9 The lifestyle of the wicked is detestable to the Lord,
but he loves those who ardently pursue righteousness.
10 Severe punishment awaits anyone who wanders off the path—
anyone who despises reproof will die.
24 The way of life leads upward for the wise
so he may avoid Sheol[a] below.
25 The house of the proud the Lord will demolish,
but he will protect the widow’s boundary line.
26 To the Lord evil plans are detestable,
but pleasant words are pure.
27 Those who are greedy for unjust gain bring trouble into their homes,
but the person who hates bribes will live.
28 The mind of the righteous thinks before speaking,
but the wicked person spews out evil.
29 The Lord is far away from the wicked,
but he hears the prayers of the righteous.
31 Whoever listens to a life-giving rebuke
will be at home among the wise.
32 Whoever ignores instruction hates himself,
but anyone who heeds reproof gains understanding.[d]
33 The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom,
and humility precedes honor.
Paul Greets the Church in Corinth
1 From:[a] Paul, an apostle of the Messiah[b] Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.
To: God’s church in Corinth, and to all the holy people[c] throughout Achaia.
2 May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[d] be yours!
The God of All Comfort
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah![e] He is our merciful Father and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God. 5 For as the Messiah’s[f] sufferings overflow into us, so also our comfort overflows through the Messiah.[g] 6 If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.
How God Rescued Paul
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living. 9 In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again, 11 as you also help us by your prayers for us. Then many people will thank God[h] on our behalf because of the favor shown us through the prayers of many.
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