Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
146 Praise the Lord! Yes, really praise him! 2 I will praise him as long as I live, yes, even with my dying breath.
3 Don’t look to men for help; their greatest leaders fail; 4 for every man must die. His breathing stops, life ends, and in a moment all he planned for himself is ended. 5 But happy is the man who has the God of Jacob as his helper, whose hope is in the Lord his God— 6 the God who made both earth and heaven, the seas and everything in them. He is the God who keeps every promise, 7 who gives justice to the poor and oppressed and food to the hungry. He frees the prisoners 8 and opens the eyes of the blind; he lifts the burdens from those bent down beneath their loads. For the Lord loves good men. 9 He protects the immigrants and cares for the orphans and widows. But he turns topsy-turvy the plans of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever. O Jerusalem,[a] your God is King in every generation! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
11 Rich men are conceited, but their real poverty is evident to the poor.
12 When the godly are successful, everyone is glad. When the wicked succeed, everyone is sad.
13 A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.
14 Blessed is the man who reveres God, but the man who doesn’t care is headed for serious trouble.
15 A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a lion or bear attacking them.
16 Only a stupid prince will oppress his people, but a king will have a long reign if he hates dishonesty and bribes.
17 A murderer’s conscience will drive him into hell. Don’t stop him!
18 Good men will be rescued from harm, but cheaters will be destroyed.
19 Hard work brings prosperity; playing around brings poverty.
20 The man who wants to do right will get a rich reward. But the man who wants to get rich quick will quickly fail.
21 Giving preferred treatment to rich people is a clear case of selling one’s soul for a piece of bread.
22 Trying to get rich quick is evil and leads to poverty.
23 In the end, people appreciate frankness more than flattery.
24 A man who robs his parents and says, “What’s wrong with that?” is no better than a murderer.
25 Greed causes fighting; trusting God leads to prosperity.
26 A man is a fool to trust himself! But those who use God’s wisdom are safe.
27 If you give to the poor, your needs will be supplied! But a curse upon those who close their eyes to poverty.
28 When the wicked prosper, good men go away; when the wicked meet disaster, good men return.
43 Awe gripped the people as they saw this display of the power of God.
Meanwhile, as they were exclaiming over all the wonderful things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, 44 “Listen to me and remember what I say. I, the Messiah,[a] am going to be betrayed.” 45 But the disciples didn’t know what he meant, for their minds had been sealed and they were afraid to ask him.
46 Now came an argument among them as to which of them would be greatest in the coming Kingdom![b] 47 But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he stood a little child beside him 48 and said to them, “Anyone who takes care of a little child like this is caring for me! And whoever cares for me is caring for God who sent me. Your care for others is the measure of your greatness.”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.