Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
146 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, my soul!
2 I want to praise the Lord throughout my life.
I want to make music to praise my God as long as I live.
3 Do not trust influential people,
mortals who cannot help you.
4 When they breathe their last breath, they return to the ground.
On that day their plans come to an end.
5 Blessed are those who receive help from the God of Jacob.
Their hope rests on the Lord their God,
6 who made heaven, earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
The Lord remains faithful forever.
7 He brings about justice for those who are oppressed.
He gives food to those who are hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free.
8 The Lord gives sight to blind people.
The Lord straightens ⌞the backs⌟ of those who are bent over.
The Lord loves righteous people.
9 The Lord protects foreigners.
The Lord gives relief to orphans and widows.
But he keeps wicked people from reaching their goal.
10 The Lord rules as king forever.
Zion, your God rules throughout every generation.
Hallelujah!
2 The rich and the poor have this in common:
the Lord is the maker of them all.
3 Sensible people foresee trouble and hide ⌞from it⌟,
but gullible people go ahead and suffer ⌞the consequence⌟.
4 On the heels of humility (the fear of the Lord)
are riches and honor and life.
5 A devious person has thorns and traps ahead of him.
Whoever guards himself will stay far away from them.
6 Train a child in the way he should go,
and even when he is old he will not turn away from it.
7 A rich person rules poor people,
and a borrower is a slave to a lender.
8 Whoever plants injustice will harvest trouble,
and this weapon of his own fury will be destroyed.
9 Whoever is generous will be blessed
because he has shared his food with the poor.
10 Drive out a mocker, and conflict will leave.
Quarreling and abuse will stop.
11 Whoever loves a pure heart and whoever speaks graciously
has a king as his friend.
12 The Lord’s eyes watch over knowledge,
but he overturns the words of a treacherous person.
13 A lazy person says,
“There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be murdered in the streets!”
14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit.
The one who is cursed by the Lord will fall into it.
15 Foolishness is firmly attached to a child’s heart.
Spanking will remove it far from him.
16 Oppressing the poor for profit
⌞or⌟ giving to the rich
certainly leads to poverty.
8 I’m not commanding you, but I’m testing how genuine your love is by pointing out the dedication of others. 9 You know about the kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor in order to make you rich through his poverty.
10 I’m giving you my opinion because it will be helpful to you. Last year you were not only willing ⌞to take a collection⌟ but had already started to do it. 11 So finish what you began to do. Then your willingness will be matched by what you accomplish 12 with whatever contributions you have. Since you are willing to do this, ⌞remember⌟ that people are accepted if they give what they are able to give. God doesn’t ask for what they don’t have.
13 I don’t mean that others should have relief while you have hardship. Rather, it’s a matter of striking a balance. 14 At the present time, your surplus fills their need so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things balance out. 15 This is what Scripture says: “Those who had gathered a lot didn’t have too much, and those who gathered a little didn’t have too little.”
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