Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
19 But You, O Lord, (A)be not far off;
O You my help, (B)hasten to my assistance.
20 Deliver my [a]soul from (C)the sword,
My (D)only life from the [b]power of the dog.
21 Save me from the (E)lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the (F)wild oxen You (G)answer me.
22 I will (H)tell of Your name to my brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
23 (I)You who fear the Lord, praise Him;
All you [c]descendants of Jacob, (J)glorify Him,
And (K)stand in awe of Him, all you [d]descendants of Israel.
24 For He has (L)not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He (M)hidden His face from him;
But (N)when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
25 From You comes (O)my praise in the great assembly;
I shall (P)pay my vows before those who fear Him.
26 The [e]afflicted will eat and (Q)be satisfied;
Those who seek Him will (R)praise the Lord.
Let your (S)heart live forever!
27 All the (T)ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the (U)families of the nations will worship before [f]You.
28 For the (V)kingdom is the Lord’s
And He (W)rules over the nations.
Evil Leaders Rebuked
57 The righteous man perishes, and no man (A)takes it to heart;
And devout men are taken away, while no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from (B)evil,
2 He enters into peace;
They rest in their [a]beds,
Each one who (C)walked in his upright way.
3 “But come here, you sons of a (D)sorceress,
(E)Offspring of an adulterer and [b]a (F)prostitute.
4 “Against whom do you jest?
Against whom do you open wide your mouth
And stick out your tongue?
Are you not children of (G)rebellion,
Offspring of deceit,
5 Who inflame yourselves among the [c](H)oaks,
(I)Under every luxuriant tree,
Who (J)slaughter the children in the [d]ravines,
Under the clefts of the crags?
6 “Among the [e](K)smooth stones of the [f]ravine
Is your portion, [g]they are your lot;
Even to them you have (L)poured out a drink offering,
You have made a grain offering.
Shall I [h](M)relent concerning these things?
7 “Upon a (N)high and lofty mountain
You have (O)made your bed.
You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
8 “Behind the door and the doorpost
You have set up your sign;
Indeed, far removed from Me, you have (P)uncovered yourself,
And have gone up and made your bed wide.
And you have made an agreement for yourself with them,
You have loved their [i]bed,
You have looked on their [j]manhood.
9 “You have journeyed to the king with oil
And increased your perfumes;
You have (Q)sent your envoys a great distance
And made them go down to [k]Sheol.
10 “You were tired out by the length of your road,
Yet you did not say, ‘(R)It is hopeless.’
You found [l]renewed strength,
Therefore you did not [m]faint.
11 “Of (S)whom were you worried and fearful
When you lied, and did (T)not remember Me
[n]Nor (U)give Me a thought?
Was I not silent even for a long time
So you do not fear Me?
12 “I will (V)declare your righteousness and your (W)deeds,
But they will not profit you.
13 “When you cry out, (X)let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry all of them up,
And a breath will take them away.
But he who (Y)takes refuge in Me will (Z)inherit the land
And will (AA)possess My holy mountain.”
Intent of the Law
15 (A)Brethren, (B)I speak [a]in terms of human relations: (C)even though it is only a man’s [b]covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds [c]conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken (D)to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “(E)And to your seed,” that is, Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came (F)four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For (G)if the inheritance is [d]based on law, it is no longer [e]based on a promise; but (H)God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
19 (I)Why the Law then? It was added [f]because of transgressions, having been (J)ordained through angels (K)by the [g]agency of a mediator, until (L)the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now (M)a mediator is not [h]for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? (N)May it never be! For (O)if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness [i]would indeed have been [j]based on law. 22 But the Scripture has (P)shut up [k]everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.