Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 7
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
1 Lord my God, I seek refuge in you;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,(B)
2 or they[a] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.(C)
3 Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[b] my adversary without cause,(F)
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)Selah
6 Rise up, Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;(I)
awake for me;[c](J)
you have ordained a judgment.(K)
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around you;(L)
take your seat on high over it.(M)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.(O)
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,(P)
but establish the righteous.(Q)
The one who examines the thoughts and emotions[d]
is a righteous God.(R)
10 My shield is with God,(S)
who saves the upright in heart.(T)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows his wrath every day.(U)
12 If anyone does not repent,
he will sharpen his sword;(V)
he has strung his bow and made it ready.(W)
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he tips his arrows with fire.(X)
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.(Y)
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.(Z)
16 His trouble comes back on his own head;
his own violence comes down on top of his head.(AA)
17 I will thank the Lord for his righteousness;
I will sing about the name of the Lord Most High.(AB)
7 “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.(A) When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die,’(B) but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. 9 But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself.
10 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘You have said this: “Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them!(C) How then can we survive?”’ (D) 11 Tell them, ‘As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live.(E) Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’
12 “Now, son of man, say to your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won’t be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins. 13 When I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, but he trusts in his righteousness and acts unjustly, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the injustice he has committed.(F)
14 “‘So when I tell the wicked person, “You will surely die,” but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right— 15 he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life(G) without committing injustice—he will certainly live; he will not die. 16 None of the sins he committed will be held[a] against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.(H)
17 “‘But your people say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair,”(I) even though it is their own way that isn’t fair. 18 When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, he will die for it. 19 But if a wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of it. 20 Yet you say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair.” I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.’”
19 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[a] does, the Son likewise does these things.(A) 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing, and he will show him greater works(B) than these so that you will be amazed. 21 And just as the Father raises(C) the dead and gives them life, so the Son also gives life to whom he wants.(D) 22 The Father,(E) in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all people may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.(F) Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.(G)
Life and Judgment
24 “Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life(H) and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.
25 “Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here,(I) when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.(J) 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son(K) to have life in himself. 27 And he has granted him the right to pass judgment,(L) because he is the Son of Man.(M) 28 Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation.
30 “I can do nothing on my own. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment(N) is just,(O) because I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.(P)
Witnesses to Jesus
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony he gives about me is true.(Q) 33 You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth.(R) 34 I don’t receive human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 John[b](S) was a burning and shining lamp,(T) and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.(U)
36 “But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given me to accomplish.(V) These very works I am doing testify about me that the Father has sent(W) me. 37 The Father who sent me has himself testified(X) about me. You have not heard his voice at any time, and you haven’t seen his form.(Y) 38 You don’t have his word residing in you, because you don’t believe the one he sent. 39 You pore over the Scriptures(Z) because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me.(AA) 40 But you are not willing(AB) to come to me(AC) so that you may have life.
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