Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 32[a]
By David; a well-written song.[b]
32 How blessed[c] is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven,[d]
whose sin is pardoned.[e]
2 How blessed is the one[f] whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish,[g]
in whose spirit there is no deceit.[h]
3 When I refused to confess my sin,[i]
my whole body wasted away,[j]
while I groaned in pain all day long.
4 For day and night you tormented me;[k]
you tried to destroy me[l] in the intense heat[m] of summer.[n] (Selah)
5 Then I confessed my sin;
I no longer covered up my wrongdoing.
I said, “I will confess[o] my rebellious acts to the Lord.”
And then you forgave my sins.[p] (Selah)
6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers[q] should pray to you
while there is a window of opportunity.[r]
Certainly[s] when the surging water[t] rises,
it will not reach them.[u]
7 You are my hiding place;
you protect me from distress.
You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance.[v] (Selah)
8 The Lord abhors[a] the sacrifice of the wicked,[b]
but the prayer[c] of the upright pleases him.[d]
9 The Lord abhors[e] the way of the wicked,
but he will love[f] those[g] who pursue[h] righteousness.
10 Severe discipline[i] is for the one who abandons the way;
the one who hates reproof[j] will die.
11 Death and Destruction[k] are before the Lord—
how much more[l] the hearts of humans![m]
24 The path of life is upward[a] for the wise person,[b]
to[c] keep him from going downward to Sheol.[d]
25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud,[e]
but he maintains the boundaries of the widow.[f]
26 The Lord abhors[g] the plans[h] of the wicked,[i]
but pleasant words[j] are pure.[k]
27 The one who is greedy for gain[l] troubles[m] his household,[n]
but whoever hates bribes[o] will live.
28 The heart[p] of the righteous considers[q] how[r] to answer,[s]
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.[t]
29 The Lord is far[u] from the wicked,
but he hears[v] the prayer of the righteous.[w]
30 A bright look[x] brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the body.[y]
31 The person[z] who hears the reproof that leads to life[aa]
is at home[ab] among the wise.[ac]
32 The one who refuses correction despises himself,[ad]
but whoever listens to[ae] reproof acquires understanding.[af]
33 The fear of the Lord provides wise instruction,[ag]
and before honor comes humility.[ah]
Salutation
1 From Paul,[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.[b] 2 Grace and peace to you[c] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort
3 Blessed is[d] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles[e] so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble[f] with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings[g] of Christ[h] overflow[i] toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.[j] 6 But if we are afflicted,[k] it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in[l] our sufferings, so also you will share in[m] our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[n] regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia,[o] that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. 9 Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us,[p] so that we would not trust in ourselves[q] but in God who raises the dead. 10 He[r] delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him[s] that[t] he will deliver us yet again, 11 as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God[u] on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.
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