Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Thanks to God for the Way He Judges

9 I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart. I will tell of all the great things You have done. ² I will be glad and full of joy because of You. I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. ³ When those who hate me turn away, they fall and are lost from You. ⁴ For You have stood by my right actions. You sit on Your throne, and are right in how You judge. ⁵ You have spoken sharp words to the nations and have destroyed the sinful. You have thrown out their name forever and ever. ⁶ Those who fight against You are finished forever. You have destroyed their cities. They will be remembered no more. ⁷ But the Lord lives forever. He has set up His throne to say who is guilty or not. ⁸ He will punish the world by what is right. He will be fair as He rules the people.

⁹ The Lord also keeps safe those who suffer. He is a safe place in times of trouble. ¹⁰ Those who know Your name will put their trust in You. For You, O Lord, have never left alone those who look for You. ¹¹ Sing praises to the Lord, Who lives in Zion! Tell all the nations what He has done! ¹² For He Who punishes for the blood of another remembers them. He does not forget the cry of those who suffer. ¹³ Have pity on me, O Lord! See how I suffer from those who hate me, You Who have lifted me up from the gates of death, ¹⁴ that I may tell of all Your praises in the gates of the people of Zion. There I will be full of joy because You save.

Job Talks

16 Then Job answered, ² “I have heard many such things. All of you bring trouble instead of comfort. ³ Is there no end to your words that are full of wind? What is your problem that you keep on talking? ⁴ I also could speak like you, if I were in your place. I could put words together against you, and shake my head at you. ⁵ I could give you strength with my mouth. I could speak words of comfort and make your pain less.

⁶ “If I speak, my pain is not made less. And if I keep quiet, it does not leave me. ⁷ But now God has taken away my strength. He has taken away all my family. ⁸ He has made me dry up, and this speaks against me. The wasting away of my body rises up against me. It speaks against me to my face. ⁹ His anger has torn me and hated me. He has ground His teeth at me. The one against me looks hard at me. ¹⁰ Men have looked at me with their mouths open. They have hit me on the face with anger. They have gathered together against me. ¹¹ God gives me over to bad men. He throws me into the hands of the sinful. ¹² I was living in comfort, but He has taken that away. He has taken hold of me by the neck and shaken me to pieces. He has set me up for something to shoot at. ¹³ His arrows are all around me. He cuts my kidneys open without pity. He pours the bitter insides on the ground. ¹⁴ He hurts me again and again. He runs at me like a man of war. ¹⁵ I have sewed cloth made from hair over my skin, and have laid my hope in the dust. ¹⁶ My face is red from crying, and darkness is over my eyes. ¹⁷ But my hands have done nothing bad, and my prayer is pure.

¹⁸ “O earth, do not cover my blood. Let my cry have no place to rest. ¹⁹ See, even now there is One Who sees me from heaven. The One Who speaks for me is on high. ²⁰ My friends make fun of me. My eyes pour out tears to God. ²¹ If only a man could give reasons to God, as a man does for his neighbor!

Faithful Servants and Servants Who Are Not Faithful

⁴⁵ “Who is the faithful and wise servant whom his owner has made boss over the other servants? He is to have food ready for them at the right time. ⁴⁶ That servant is happy who is doing what his owner wants him to do when he comes back. ⁴⁷ For sure, I tell you, he will make him boss over all that he has. ⁴⁸ But if that servant is bad, he will think, ‘The owner will not come soon.’ ⁴⁹ He will beat the others. He will eat and drink with those who are drunk. ⁵⁰ The owner will come on a day and at an hour when the servant is not looking for him. ⁵¹ The owner will punish the servant and will give him his place with those who pretend to be someone they are not. There will be loud crying and grinding of teeth.