Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble.
For the choir director; with stringed instruments, [a]upon an eight-string lyre. A Psalm of David.
6 O Lord, (A)do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am (B)pining away;
(C)Heal me, O Lord, for (D)my bones are dismayed.
3 And my (E)soul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O Lord—(F)how long?
4 Return, O Lord, (G)rescue my [b]soul;
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.
5 For (H)there is no [c]mention of You in death;
In [d]Sheol who will give You thanks?
The Prophet Acknowledges
7 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the (A)grape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a (B)first-ripe fig which [a]I crave.
2 The [b]godly person has (C)perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for (D)bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a (E)net.
3 Concerning evil, both hands do it (F)well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a (G)bribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a (H)briar,
The most upright like a (I)thorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your (J)punishment will come.
Then their (K)confusion will occur.
5 Do not (L)trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard [c]your lips.
6 For (M)son treats father contemptuously,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
(N)A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
Message to Ephesus
2 “To the angel of the church in (A)Ephesus write:
The One who holds (B)the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks [a](C)among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
2 ‘(D)I know your deeds and your toil and [b]perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you (E)put to the test those who call themselves (F)apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have [c]perseverance and have endured (G)for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have (H)left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and (I)repent and (J)do the [d]deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your (K)lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the (L)Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 (M)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (N)To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of (O)the tree of life which is in the (P)Paradise of God.’
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