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.

Bildad Talks

25 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, ² “Power and fear belong to God. He keeps peace in His high places. ³ Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not shine? ⁴ How then can a man be right and good before God? How can he who is born of woman be clean? ⁵ See, even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in His eyes. ⁶ How much less man, who is a bug, and the son of man, who is a worm!”

Job Talks

26 Then Job answered, ² “What a help you are to the weak! How you have saved the arm that has no strength! ³ How you have given wise words to him who has no wisdom! How much true learning you have given! ⁴ To whom have your words been said? And from whose spirit have you spoken?

⁵ “The spirits of the dead shake under the waters and those living in them. ⁶ The place of the dead has no covering before God and the place that destroys has no covering. ⁷ He spreads out the north over empty waste, and hangs the earth on nothing. ⁸ He holds the waters in His clouds, and the cloud does not break under them. ⁹ He covers the face of the moon and spreads His cloud over it. ¹⁰ He has marked the sides around the waters where light and darkness are divided. ¹¹ The pillars of heaven shake with fear. They are surprised and afraid of His sharp words. ¹² He made the sea quiet by His power. And by His understanding He destroyed Rahab. ¹³ By His breath the heavens are made beautiful. His hand cut through the snake as it tried to get away. ¹⁴ See, these are only a few of the things He does. And how quiet are the words spoken about Him! But who can understand His powerful thunder?”

Jesus Tells How He Works

¹⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son does also. ²⁰ The Father loves the Son and shows the Son everything He does. The Father will show Him greater works than these. They will surprise you. ²¹ The Father raises up the dead and makes them live. The Son also gives life to anyone He chooses. ²² The Father does not say who is guilty. He gives this to the Son to do. ²³ He does this so that all people will honor the Son as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him.

²⁴ “For sure, I tell you, anyone who hears My Word and puts his trust in Him Who sent Me has life that lasts forever. He will not be guilty. He has already passed from death into life.

The Good People and the Sinful People Are Raised from the Dead

²⁵ “For sure, I tell you, the time is coming. Yes, the time is here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God. Those who hear will live. ²⁶ The Father has life in Himself. He has given power to the Son to have life in Himself. ²⁷ God has given Him the right and the power to say if people are guilty, because He is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not be surprised at this. The time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice. ²⁹ They will come out. Those who have done good will be raised again and will have new life. Those who have been sinful will be raised again and will be told they are guilty and will be punished.