Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Praise to God the Help of Israel
146 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live,
singing praises to my God while I exist.
3 Do not look to nobles,
nor to mere human beings who cannot save.
4 When they stop breathing,
they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans evaporate!
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 maker of heaven and earth,
the seas and everything in them,
forever the guardian of truth,
7 who brings justice for the oppressed,
and who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners;
8 the Lord gives sight to the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord stands guard over the stranger;
he supports both widows and orphans,
but makes the path of the wicked slippery.[a]
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, Zion, for all generations!
Hallelujah!
11 The rich man may be wise in his own opinion;
but a discerning, poor man sees through him.
12 When the righteous are victorious, there is great glory,
but when the wicked arise, men hide themselves.
13 Whoever hides his transgressions will not succeed,
but whoever confesses and forsakes them will find mercy.
14 Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord,[a]
but whoever hardens his heart will fall into disaster.
15 A roaring lion and a charging bear—
that’s what a wicked tyrant is over poor people.
16 A Commander-in-Chief[b] who is a cruel oppressor lacks understanding,
but whoever hates unjust gain will live longer.[c]
17 A guilty man tormented by bloodshed
will be a lifelong fugitive;
let no one support him.
18 Whoever lives blamelessly will be delivered,
but whoever is perverted will fall without warning.
19 Whoever works his farmland will have abundant food,
but whoever chases fantasies will become very poor.
20 The faithful man will prosper with blessings,
but whoever is in a hurry to get rich
will not escape punishment.
21 To show partiality isn’t good,
yet for a piece of bread the valiant will transgress.
22 The miser[d] is in a hurry to get wealthy,
but he isn’t aware that poverty will catch up with him.
23 Whoever rebukes a man will later on find more favor
than someone who flatters with his words.[e]
24 Whoever steals from his father or mother
but claims, “It’s no sin,”
is a companion to someone who demolishes.
25 An arrogant[f] man stirs up dissension,
but anyone who trusts in the Lord prospers.
26 Whoever trusts in himself is foolish,
but whoever lives wisely will be kept safe.
Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection(A)
43 All the people continued to be amazed at the greatness of God. Indeed, everyone was astonished at all the things Jesus[a] was doing. So he told his disciples, 44 “Listen carefully to these words.[b] The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands.” 45 But they didn’t know what this meant. Indeed, the meaning was hidden from them so that they didn’t understand it; and they were afraid to ask him about this statement.
True Greatness(B)
46 Later, an argument started among the disciples[c] as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing their inner thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. 48 Then he told them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest.”
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