Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 138
By David.
1 I will give thanks to you with all my heart.
I will make music to praise you in front of the false gods.
2 I will bow toward your holy temple.
I will give thanks to your name because of your mercy and truth.
You have made your name and your promise greater than everything.
3 When I called, you answered me.
You made me bold by strengthening my soul.[a]
4 All the kings of the earth will give thanks to you, O Yahweh,
because they have heard the promises you spoke.
5 They will sing this about the ways of Yahweh:
“Yahweh’s honor is great!”
6 Even though Yahweh is high above, he sees humble people close up,
and he recognizes arrogant people from a distance.
7 Even though I walk into the middle of trouble,
you guard my life against the anger of my enemies.
You stretch out your hand,
and your right hand saves me.
8 Yahweh will do everything for me.
O Yahweh, your mercy endures forever.
Do not let go of what your hands have made.
11 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, 12 “Son of man, sing a funeral song for the ruler of Tyre. Tell him, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says:
You were the perfect example,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, Elohim’s garden.
You were covered with every kind of precious stone:
red quartz, topaz, crystal,
beryl, onyx, gray quartz, sapphire,
turquoise, and emerald.
Your settings and your sockets
were made of gold when you were created.
14 I appointed an angel[a] to guard you.
You were on Elohim’s holy mountain.
You walked among fiery stones.
15 Your behavior was perfect from the time you were created,
until evil was found in you.
16 You traded far and wide. You learned to be violent, and you sinned.
So I threw you down from Elohim’s mountain in disgrace.
The guardian angel forced you out from the fiery stones.
17 You became too proud because of your beauty.
You wasted your wisdom because of your greatness.
So I threw you to the ground
and left you in front of the kings
so that they could see you.
18 You dishonored your own holy places
because of your many sins and dishonest trade.
So I set fire to you to burn you up.
I turned you into ashes on the ground
in the presence of all who saw you.
19 All the nations who knew you are horrified because of you.
You have come to a terrible end,
and you will never exist again.’”
Settling Disagreements between Christians
6 When one of you has a complaint against another, how dare you go to court to settle the matter in front of wicked people. Why don’t you settle it in front of God’s holy people? 2 Don’t you know that God’s people will judge the world? So if you’re going to judge the world, aren’t you capable of judging insignificant cases? 3 Don’t you know that we will judge angels, not to mention things in this life? 4 When you have cases dealing with this life, why do you allow people whom the church has a low opinion of to be your judges? 5 You should be ashamed of yourselves! Don’t you have at least one wise person who is able to settle disagreements between believers? 6 Instead, one believer goes to court against another believer, and this happens in front of unbelievers.
7 You are already totally defeated because you have lawsuits against each other. Why don’t you accept the fact that you have been wronged? Why don’t you accept that you have been cheated? 8 Instead, you do wrong and cheat, and you do this to other believers.
9 Don’t you know that wicked people won’t inherit the kingdom of God? Stop deceiving yourselves! People who continue to commit sexual sins, who worship false gods, those who commit adultery, homosexuals, 10 or thieves, those who are greedy or drunk, who use abusive language, or who rob people will not inherit the kingdom of God. 11 That’s what some of you were! But you have been washed and made holy, and you have received God’s approval in the name of the Lord Yeshua Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.