Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
11 For the sake of your name,[a] Lord,
forgive my sin, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?
God[b] will teach him the path he should choose.
13 He[c] will experience good things;
his descendants will inherit the earth.
14 The intimate counsel of the Lord is for those who fear him
so they may know his covenant.
15 My eyes look to the Lord continuously,
because he’s the one who releases my feet from the trap.[d]
16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am lonely and oppressed.
17 The troubles of my heart have increased;
bring me out of my distress!
18 Look upon my distress and affliction;
forgive all my sins.
19 Look how many enemies I have gained!
They hate me with a vicious hatred.
20 Preserve my life and deliver me;
do not let me be ashamed,
because I take refuge in you.
The Priorities of Life Contrasted
19 A poor man who walks blamelessly is better
than a fool who speaks perversely.
2 Furthermore, it isn’t good to be ignorant,[a]
and whoever rushes into things[b] misses the mark.
3 A man’s foolishness ruins his life,[c]
yet his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth brings many friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 A witness to lies will not go unpunished;
the teller of falsehoods will not escape.
6 Many curry favor of an official;
everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
7 All the relatives of a poor person shun him—
how much more do his friends avoid him!
Though he runs after them pleading,
they aren’t around.
8 Whoever obtains wisdom loves himself,
and whoever treasures understanding will prosper.
9 A witness to lies will not go unpunished;
the teller of falsehoods will perish.
10 It’s not fitting for a fool to live in luxury;
neither is it for a servant to rule over princes.
11 A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger,
and it is to his credit that he ignores an offence.
12 The king’s anger is like the roaring of a lion,
but his goodwill is like dew on the grass.
13 A father’s ruin is a foolish son,
and a wife’s quarreling is like[d] dripping water that never stops.
14 A house and self-sufficiency are a father’s inheritance,
but from the Lord comes an insightful wife.
15 Laziness puts one to sleep,
and an idle person will go hungry.
16 Whoever obeys a commandment keeps himself safe,[e]
but someone who is contemptuous in conduct[f] will die.
17 Whoever is kind to the poor is lending to the Lord—
the benefit of his gift will return to him in abundance.
Love One Another
11 This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain,[a] who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because what he was doing was evil and his brother’s actions[b] were righteous. 13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love[c] remains spiritually[d] dead. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah[e] gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers. 17 Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God be present in him?
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