Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 146[a]
Trust in God the Creator and Redeemer
1 Hallelujah!
2 Praise the Lord, my soul;
I will praise the Lord all my life,
sing praise to my God while I live.(A)
I
3 Put no trust in princes,
in children of Adam powerless to save.(B)
4 Who breathing his last, returns to the earth;
that day all his planning comes to nothing.(C)
II
5 Blessed the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord, his God,
6 The maker of heaven and earth,
the seas and all that is in them,(D)
Who keeps faith forever,
7 secures justice for the oppressed,(E)
who gives bread to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free;(F)
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord raises up those who are bowed down;(G)
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord protects the resident alien,
comes to the aid of the orphan and the widow,(H)
but thwarts the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord shall reign forever,
your God, Zion, through all generations!(I)
Hallelujah!
2 Rich and poor have a common bond:
the Lord is the maker of them all.(A)
3 The astute see an evil and hide,
while the naive continue on and pay the penalty.[a](B)
4 The result of humility and fear of the Lord
is riches, honor and life.[b]
5 Thorns and snares are on the path of the crooked;
those who would safeguard their lives will avoid them.
6 Train the young in the way they should go;
even when old, they will not swerve from it.[c]
7 The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.[d]
8 Those who sow iniquity reap calamity,(C)
and the rod used in anger will fail.[e]
9 The generous will be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
10 Expel the arrogant and discord goes too;
strife and insult cease.
11 The Lord loves the pure of heart;(D)
the person of winning speech has a king for a friend.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over the knowledgeable,
but he defeats the projects of the faithless.
13 The sluggard says, “A lion is outside;(E)
I might be slain in the street.”[f]
14 The mouth of the foreign woman is a deep pit;(F)
whoever incurs the Lord’s anger will fall into it.
15 Folly is bound to the heart of a youth,
but the rod of discipline will drive it out.[g]
16 Oppressing the poor for enrichment,
giving to the rich: both are sheer loss.[h]
8 I say this not by way of command, but to test the genuineness of your love by your concern for others. 9 [a](A)For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And I am giving counsel in this matter, for it is appropriate for you who began not only to act but to act willingly last year:(B) 11 complete it now, so that your eager[b] willingness may be matched by your completion of it out of what you have. 12 [c]For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have; 13 not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality 14 your surplus at the present time should supply their needs, so that their surplus may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. 15 As it is written:
“Whoever had much did not have more,
and whoever had little did not have less.”(C)
Titus and His Collaborators.[d]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.