Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 75
For the worship leader. A song of Asaph to the tune “Do Not Destroy.”[a]
1 We thank You, O True God.
Our souls are overflowing with thanks! Your name is near;
Your people remember and tell of Your marvelous works and wonders.
2 You say, “At the time that I choose,
I will judge and do so fairly.
3 When the earth and everyone living upon it spin into chaos,
I am the One who stabilizes and supports it.”[b]
[pause][c]
4 “I discipline the arrogant by telling them, ‘No more bragging.’
I discipline the wicked by saying, ‘Do not raise your horn to demonstrate your power.[d]
5 Do not thrust your horn into the air, issuing a challenge,
and never speak with insolence when you address Me.’”
6 There is no one on earth who can raise up another to grant honor,
not from the east or the west, not from the desert.
There is no one. God is the only One.
7 God is the only Judge.
He is the only One who can ruin or redeem a man.
8 For the Eternal holds a full cup of wine in His hand—
a chalice well stirred and foaming full of wrath.
He pours the cup out,
and all wicked people of the earth drink it up—every drop of it!
9 But I will tell of His great deeds forever.
I will sing praises to Jacob’s True God.
10 I will cut off the horns of strength raised by the wicked,
but I will lift up the horns of strength of the righteous.
1 This records the vision which burdened a man named Nahum, who came from the town of Elkosh. The vision is a message from God pronouncing what is coming to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire.
2 The Eternal One won’t tolerate anything that distracts from Him
and will avenge and settle the score on behalf of His covenant people.
The Eternal will serve up justice when His anger finally overflows.
He brings justice to those who oppose Him
And sustains His fury toward those who work against Him.
3 The Eternal’s anger builds slowly, but His power is great.
He will not allow the guilty to go free.
His way is in fierce winds and storms;
the clouds are dust beneath His feet.
4 He chastises the oceans, and they all dry up;
He makes the rushing rivers run dry too.
The lush lands of Bashan and Carmel wither,
and the beautiful flowers of Lebanon shrivel.
5 In response to Him, mountains quake
and mudslides flow down melting hillsides.
The planet and all who live on it
are overwhelmed in His presence.
6 Who can stand up when His fury finally overflows?
Who can hold up under the heat of His anger?
His fury flows out like fire,
strong enough to shatter even the rocks.
7 The Eternal One is good,
a safe shelter in times of trouble.
He cares for those who search for protection in Him.
8 But with an overwhelming flood,
He will make a complete end to his enemies.
He will chase His foes into oblivion.
This divine appearance, often called a theophany, is a vivid portrayal not only of the Lord’s characteristics but also of His activity on behalf of Israel. Descriptions of fantastic weather patterns demonstrate both the mysterious elusiveness and the mighty grandeur of God. Similar to the story related in Job 38, God visits the afflicted and impoverished through these images, and that impressive power He displays in His storms benefits the oppressed. Despite unspeakable horrors the Assyrians committed against the Israelites, His people still understand that their God is good.
9 Futile are the plots you devise against the Eternal One, Nineveh,
because He will put a stop to them.
Evil will not have a second chance to rise up.
10 They are tangled up in the thorns of their own evil ways,
inebriated by their own excesses.
They are consumed by their own evil, like dried grass in a fire.[a]
11 It was one of your own, Nineveh, who hatched evil plots against the Eternal
and encouraged others toward wickedness.[b]
12 Eternal One (to His people): Although their numbers are countless and they have strong allies,
they will be stopped and their time as your oppressor will pass away.
Although I have brought trouble down on you, people of Judah,
I will bring trouble to you no more.
13 Now I will break their yoke of slavery and death from your shoulders
and tear their chains of religious and political oppression away from you.
12 Here is the patient endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice call out from heaven.
A Voice: Record this: “Blessed are the dead who have died in the Lord from now until the end.”
Spirit: Yes, they will rest from their labors because their deeds remain with them.
14 Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like the Son of Man, a golden wreath atop His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 Another messenger proceeded from the temple and called with a loud voice to the One who sat on the cloud.
Heavenly Messenger: Take Your sickle and reap the harvest, because the harvest of the earth is full and ripe and because the time to harvest has come.
16 Then the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth gave up its harvest.
17 Just then another messenger proceeded out of the heavenly temple. He also had a sharp sickle. 18 Then another messenger (the one with authority over fire) came out from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle.
Messenger of Fire: Take your sharp sickle and gather together the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for the grapes are ripe and ready for harvest.
19 So the heavenly messenger swung his sickle over the earth, gathered the fruit of the vine from the earth, and threw it into the great winepress, which is the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trampled outside of the city, and blood flowed from the winepress. The blood ran deep. It reached as high as the bridle on a horse and ran for the distance of about 185 miles.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.