Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits—

³ who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases,

⁴ who redeemeth thy life from destruction, who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

⁵ who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

⁷ He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.

⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.

⁹ He will not always chide, neither will He keep His anger for ever.

¹⁰ He hath not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.

¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.

²² Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

16 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations

³ and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem: Thy birth and thy nativity are of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite and thy mother a Hittite.

⁴ And as for thy nativity, on the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to soothe thee. Thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

⁵ No eye pitied thee to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person on the day that thou wast born.

⁶ “‘And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, “Live”; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, “Live.”

⁷ I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxed great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments. Thy breasts are fashioned and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

⁸ “‘Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread My skirt over thee and covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swore unto thee and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest Mine.

⁹ Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

¹⁰ I clothed thee also with embroidered work and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

¹¹ I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands and a chain on thy neck.

¹² And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

¹³ Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk and embroidered work. Thou didst eat fine flour and honey and oil; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

¹⁴ And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty; for it was perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.

3 What advantage then hath the Jew? Or what profit is there in circumcision?

² Much in every way; chiefly because unto them were committed the oracles of God.

³ For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?

⁴ God forbid! Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar. As it is written: “That Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings, and mightest overcome when Thou art judged.”

⁵ But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man.)

⁶ God forbid! For then how shall God judge the world?

⁷ For if the truth of God through my lie hath abounded more unto His glory, why am I also yet judged as a sinner?

⁸ And why not say rather (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let us do evil, that good may come”? Their damnation is just!