Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Praise God Who Helps the Weak
146 Praise the Lord!
My whole being, praise the Lord.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life.
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes
or other people, who cannot save you.
4 When people die, they are buried.
Then all of their plans come to an end.
5 Happy are those who are helped by the God of Jacob.
Their hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He made heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in it.
He remains loyal forever.
7 The Lord does what is fair for those who have been wronged.
He gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up people who are in trouble.
The Lord loves those who do right.
9 The Lord protects the foreigners.
He defends the orphans and widows.
But he overthrows the wicked.
10 The Lord will be King forever.
Jerusalem, your God is everlasting.
Praise the Lord!
2 The rich and the poor are alike
in that the Lord made them all.
3 When a wise person sees danger ahead, he avoids it.
But a foolish person keeps going and gets into trouble.
4 Respecting the Lord and not being proud
will bring you wealth, honor and life.
5 The lives of evil people are like paths covered with thorns and traps.
People who protect themselves don’t have such problems.
6 Train a child how to live the right way.
Then even when he is old, he will still live that way.
7 The rich rule over the poor.
And borrowers become servants to those who lend.
8 A person who does evil things will receive trouble in return.
Then he won’t be cruel to others any longer.
9 A generous person will be blessed
because he shares his food with the poor.
10 Get rid of the person who makes fun of wisdom.
Then fighting, quarrels and insults will stop.
11 A person who loves innocent thoughts and kind words
will have even the king as a friend.
12 The Lord protects knowledge from being lost.
But he destroys false words.
13 The lazy person says, “There’s a lion outside!
I might get killed out in the street!”
14 The words of an unfaithful wife are like a deep trap.
Those who make the Lord angry will get caught by them.
15 Every child is full of foolishness.
But punishment can get rid of it.
16 The one who gets rich by being cruel to the poor will become poor.
And so will the one who gives presents to the wealthy.
8 I am not commanding you to give. But I want to see if your love is true love. I do this by showing you that others really want to help. 9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor. Christ did this so that by his being poor you might become rich.
10 This is what I think you should do: Last year you were the first to want to give. And you were the first who gave. 11 So now finish the work that you started. Then your “doing” will be equal to your “wanting to do.” Give from what you have. 12 If you want to give, your gift will be accepted. Your gift will be judged by what you have, not by what you do not have. 13 We do not want you to have troubles while other people are at ease. We want everything to be equal. 14 At this time you have plenty. What you have can help others who are in need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can help you when you are in need. Then all will be equal. 15 As it is written in the Scriptures, “The person who gathered more did not have too much. The person who gathered less did not have too little.”[a]
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.