Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, Who Forgives All Your Sins
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By David.
Invitation to Praise
1 Bless the Lord,[a] O my soul.
All that is within me, bless his holy name.
Praise for Personal Blessings
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
3 who pardons all your guilt,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with mercy and compassion,
5 who satisfies your life[b] with goodness,
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Praise for Blessings Through Moses
6 The Lord performs righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel.
God’s Great Mercy
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always accuse.
He will not keep his anger forever.
10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve.
He does not repay us according to our guilty deeds.
God’s Mercy Illustrated
11 Yes, as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so powerful is his mercy toward those who fear him.
12 As distant as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our rebellious acts from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
22 Bless the Lord, everything he has made
in all places where he rules.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Jerusalem, the Prostitute[a]
16 The word of the Lord came to me.
2 Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominations. 3 Tell them this is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem.
Your origin and your birth were from the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 4 This is the way it was at your birth. On the day you were born, your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were not washed with water to clean you up.[b] You were not rubbed down with salt, nor were you tightly wrapped with cloths. 5 No eye looked at you with pity to do any of these things for you or to show compassion to you. On the day you were born, you were thrown out in the open field without regard for your life.
6 I passed by, and I saw you squirming in your blood. I said to you, “You there, lying there in your blood, live!” and I said to you, “You there, lying there in your blood, live!”[c] 7 I made you grow like a sprout in the field. You grew up, you developed, and you became very beautiful.[d] Your breasts were formed and your hair had appeared, but you were completely naked. 8 I passed by and saw you, and I noticed that you were old enough for love.[e] So I spread the skirt of my robe over you and covered your nakedness. I swore an oath to you to enter into a covenant of marriage with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine. 9 I washed you with water. I washed your blood off you. I anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you with the finest embroidered material and gave you sandals of luxurious leather.[f] I wrapped your head in the best linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck. 12 I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears, and a glorious crown on your head. 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was made of the best linen, with silk and the finest embroidered material. You ate fine flour, honey, and olive oil. You were extraordinarily beautiful, and you attained the status of a queen. 14 Your fame spread throughout the nations because of your beauty. In fact, it was perfect because of my splendor, which I had bestowed upon you, declares the Lord God.
A Jew’s Advantage and God’s Faithfulness
3 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew? Or what benefit is there to circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Indeed, above all else, they were entrusted with the messages of God.
3 Now what if some did not believe? Their unbelief[a] will not nullify God’s faithfulness, will it? 4 Absolutely not! God must be true, even though everyone is found to be a liar, just as it is written:
So that you would be justified whenever you speak,
and win the case when you judge.[b]
An Absurd Conclusion
5 Now if our unrighteousness demonstrates God’s righteousness, what shall we say? God is not unjust in bringing his wrath on us, is he? (I am speaking from a human point of view.) 6 Absolutely not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 For example,[c] someone might say, “If by my lie the truth of God increases all the more to his glory, why am I still being judged as a sinner?” 8 And why not say (as some slanderously claim we say), “Let us do evil so that good may result.” Their condemnation is deserved.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.