Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Prayer for the Lord’s Help

123 I lift up my eyes to You, O You Whose throne is in the heavens. ² See, the eyes of servants look to the hand of their owner. The eyes of a woman servant look to the hand of her owner. So our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He shows us loving-kindness.

³ Show loving-kindness to us, O Lord. Show loving-kindness to us. For we have had our fill of hate. ⁴ The proud have laughed at us too long. We have had more than enough of their hate.

Job Talks

21 Then Job answered,

¹⁷ “How many times is the lamp of the sinful put out, that their trouble comes upon them? How often does God send trouble to them in His anger? ¹⁸ Are they like straw blown by the wind? Are they like straw that the storm carries away? ¹⁹ You say, ‘God stores up a man’s punishment for his sons.’ Let God punish him so that he may know it. ²⁰ Let his own eyes see himself being destroyed. Let him drink the anger of the All-powerful. ²¹ For what does he care for his house and family after he is dead, when the number of his months is over? ²² Can anyone teach God anything, when He judges those on high? ²³ One man dies while still very strong, having everything he needs and time to enjoy it. ²⁴ His body has good food and his bones are strong. ²⁵ Another dies with bitter feelings in his soul, never having enjoyed anything good. ²⁶ Together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them.

²⁷ “See, I know your thoughts and your plans to wrong me. ²⁸ For you say, ‘Where is the house of the leader? Where are the tents where the sinful men live?’ ²⁹ Have you not asked those who travel this way? Do you listen to what they say? ³⁰ For the sinful are kept for the day of trouble. They will be brought out on the day of anger. ³¹ Who will talk to him about his way to his face? And who will punish him for what he has done? ³² When he is carried to the grave, men will keep watch over his grave. ³³ The earth of the valley will be sweet to him. All men will follow after him, and those who go before him are too many to number. ³⁴ How then can you comfort me with foolish words? Your answers are full of lies.”

¹ The church leader writes to the chosen lady and to her children. I love you because of the truth. I am not the only one who loves you. All who know the truth love you. ² It is because the truth is in us and will be with us forever. ³ Loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace are ours as we live in truth and love. These come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of the Father.

⁴ I am happy to find some of your children living in the truth as the Father has said we should. ⁵ And now I ask you, lady, that we have love one for the other. I am not writing to you about a new Law but an old one we have had from the beginning. ⁶ Love means that we should live by obeying His Word. From the beginning He has said in His Word that our hearts should be full of love.

⁷ There are many false teachers in the world. They do not say that Jesus Christ came in a human body. Such a person does not tell the truth. He is the false-christ. ⁸ Watch yourselves! You do not want to lose what we have worked for. You want to get what has been promised to you.

⁹ Anyone who goes too far and does not live by the teachings of Christ does not have God. If you live by what Christ taught, you have both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If a person comes to you with some other kind of teaching, do not take him into your home. Do not even greet him. ¹¹ The person who does has a share in his sins.

¹² I have many things to write to you. I do not want to write them in this letter. But I hope to come to you soon. Then we can talk about these things together that your joy may be full. ¹³ The children of your chosen sister greet you.