Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁴ God, proud people are attacking me;
    a gang of cruel people is trying to kill me.
    They do not respect you.
¹⁵ But, Lord, you are a God who shows mercy and is kind.
    You don’t become angry quickly.
    You have great love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy.
    Give me, your servant, strength.
    Save me, the son of your female servant.
¹⁷ Show me a sign of your goodness.
    When my enemies look, they will be ashamed.
    You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

¹² One workman uses tools to heat iron,
    and he works over hot coals.
With his hammer he beats the metal and makes a statue,
    using his powerful arms.
But when he becomes hungry, he loses his power.
    If he does not drink water, he becomes tired.

¹³ Another workman uses a line and a compass
    to draw on the wood.
Then he uses his chisels to cut a statue
    and his calipers to measure the statue.
In this way, the workman makes the wood look exactly like a person,
    and this statue of a person sits in the house.
¹⁴ He cuts down cedars
    or cypress or oak trees.
Those trees grew by their own power in the forest.
    Or he plants a pine tree, and the rain makes it grow.
¹⁵ Then he burns the tree.
    He uses some of the wood for a fire to keep himself warm.
    He also starts a fire to bake his bread.
But he uses part of the wood to make a god, and then he worships it!
    He makes the idol and bows down to it!
¹⁶ The man burns half of the wood in the fire.
    He uses the fire to cook his meat,
    and he eats the meat until he is full.
He also burns the wood to keep himself warm. He says,
    “Good! Now I am warm. I can see because of the fire’s light.”
¹⁷ But he makes a statue from the wood that is left and calls it his god.
    He bows down to it and worships it.
He prays to it and says,
    “You are my god. Save me!”