Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Song of Ascents
A Prayer for Relief
123 To you, who sit enthroned in heaven,
I lift up my eyes.
2 Consider this: as the eyes of a servant focus
on what his master provides,[a]
and as the eyes of a female servant focus[b]
on what her mistress provides,[c]
so our eyes focus on the Lord our God,
until he has mercy on us.
3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our lives overflow
with scorn from those who live at ease,
with contempt from those who are proud.
Zophar Speaks the Second Time
20 Then Zophar from Naamath replied:
2 “Therefore my anxious thoughts cause me to answer
because I’m agitated within me.
3 Whenever I hear an insulting rebuke,
I respond from my spirit because I understand.”
Destruction Awaits the Wicked
4 “Haven’t you known this from ancient times,
since mankind was placed on the earth?
5 The wicked triumph only briefly;
the joy of the godless is momentary.
6 Though he grow as tall as the sky,
or though his head touches the clouds,
7 he’ll perish forever, like his own excrement;
those who saw him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
8 He’ll vanish[a] like a dream, and no one will find him;
he will be chased away like a night vision.”
9 “An eye that gazes at him won’t do so again;
and his place won’t even recognize him.
10 His sons will make amends to the poor;
their hands will return his wealth.
11 Though his bones were full of youthful vigor;
yet they will lie down with him in the dust.
Pay Attention to God’s Word
16 When we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[a] we did not follow any clever myths. Rather, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when these words from the Majestic Glory were spoken about him: “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 Therefore we regard the message of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp that is shining in a gloomy place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever originated through a human decision. Instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
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