Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Book Five
The Lord Rescues People from Many Troubles.
107 O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever!
2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
3
And gathered them from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
23
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24
They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25
For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26
They went up toward the heavens [on the crest of the wave], they went down again to the depths [of the watery trough];
Their courage melted away in their misery.
27
They staggered and trembled like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end [all their wisdom was useless].
28
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29
He hushed the storm to a gentle whisper,
So that the waves of the sea were still.(A)
30
Then they were glad because of the calm,
And He guided them to their desired haven (harbor).
31
Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonderful acts to the children of men!
32
Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
21
“They listened to me and waited
And kept silent for my counsel.
22
“After I spoke, they did not speak again,
And my speech dropped upon them [like a refreshing shower].
23
“They waited for me [and for my words] as for the rain,
And they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.
24
“I smiled at them when they did not believe,
And they did not diminish the light of my face.
25
“I chose a way for them and sat as chief,
And dwelt as a king among his soldiers,
As one who comforts mourners.
Job’s Present State Is Humiliating
30 “But now those younger than I mock and laugh at me,
Whose fathers I refused to put with the sheepdogs of my flock.
2
“Indeed, how could the strength of their hands profit me?
Vigor had perished from them.
3
“They are gaunt with want and famine;
They gnaw the dry and barren ground by night in [the gloom of] waste and desolation.
4
“They pluck [and eat] [a]saltwort (mallows) among the bushes,
And their food is the root of the broom shrub.
5
“They are driven from the community;
They shout after them as after a thief.
6
“They must dwell on the slopes of [b]wadis
And in holes in the ground and in rocks.
7
“Among the bushes they cry out [like wild animals];
Beneath the prickly scrub they gather and huddle together.
8
“They are the sons of [worthless and nameless] fools,
They have been driven out of the land.
9
“And now I have become [the subject of] their taunting;
Yes, I am a [c]byword and a laughingstock to them.
10
“They hate me, they stand aloof from me,
And do not refrain from spitting in my face.
11
“For God has loosed His bowstring [attacking me] and [He has] afflicted and humbled me;
They have cast off the bridle [of restraint] before me.
12
“On my right the [rabble] brood rises;
They push my feet away, and they build up their ways of destruction against me [like an advancing army].
13
“They break up and clutter my path [upsetting my plans],
They profit from my destruction;
No one restrains them.
14
“As through a wide breach they come,
Amid the crash [of falling walls] they roll on [over me].
15
“Terrors are turned upon me;
They chase away my honor and reputation like the wind,
And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.
Paul Sails from Miletus
21 When we had torn ourselves away from them and set sail, we ran a straight course and came to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; 2 and after finding a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail. 3 After we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on our left (port side), we sailed on to Syria and put in at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo. 4 After looking up the disciples [in Tyre], we stayed there [with them] seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the [Holy] Spirit [a]not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5 When our days there came to an end, we left and proceeded on our journey, while all of the disciples, with their wives and children, escorted us on our way until we were outside the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we told one another goodbye. 6 Then we boarded the ship, and they returned to their homes.
7 When we had completed the voyage from Tyre, we landed [twenty miles to the south] at Ptolemais, and after greeting the [b]believers, we stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven [deacons], and stayed with him.(A) 9 He had four virgin daughters who had the gift of prophecy. 10 As we were staying there for some time, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to [see] us, he took Paul’s [wide] [c]band (belt, sash) and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this same way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this band, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles (pagans).’” 12 Now when we had heard this, both we and the local residents began pleading with Paul trying to persuade him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart [like this]? For I am ready not only to be bound and imprisoned, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be dissuaded, we stopped pleading and fell silent, saying, “The Lord’s will be done!”
Paul at Jerusalem
15 After this we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to [the house of] Mnason, a man from Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.
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