Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 32
The Joy of Forgiveness
Davidic. A Maskil.
1 How joyful is the one
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered!(A)
2 How joyful is the man
the Lord does not charge with sin(B)
and in whose spirit is no deceit!(C)
3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle
from my groaning all day long.(D)
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy on me;(E)
my strength was drained[a]
as in the summer’s heat.(F)
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You
and did not conceal my iniquity.
I said,
“I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and You took away the guilt of my sin.(G)
21 Come to terms with God and be at peace;(A)
in this way[a] good will come to you.
22 Receive instruction from His mouth,(B)
and place His sayings(C) in your heart.
23 If you return(D) to the Almighty, you will be renewed.
If you banish injustice from your tent
24 and consign your gold to the dust,
the gold of Ophir(E) to the stones in the wadis,
25 the Almighty will be your gold
and your finest silver.
26 Then you will delight(F) in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.(G)
27 You will pray to Him, and He will hear you,(H)
and you will fulfill your vows.
28 When you make a decision, it will be carried out,[b]
and light will shine on your ways.(I)
29 When others are humiliated and you say, “Lift them up,”
God will save the humble.[c](J)
30 He will even rescue the guilty one,
who will be rescued by the purity of your hands.(K)
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz
23 Then Job answered:
2 Today also my complaint is bitter.[d](L)
His[e] hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3 If only I knew how to find Him,
so that I could go to His throne.
4 I would plead my case before Him(M)
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn how[f] He would answer me;
and understand what He would say to me.
6 Would He prosecute(N) me forcefully?
No, He will certainly pay attention to me.
7 Then an upright man could reason(O) with Him,
and I would escape from my Judge(P) forever.
8 If I go east, He is not there,
and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him.(Q)
9 When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him;
when He turns south, I cannot find Him.
10 Yet He knows the way I have taken;[g]
when He has tested me,(R) I will emerge as pure gold.
11 My feet have followed in His tracks;
I have kept to His way(S) and not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of His lips;
I have treasured[h] the words(T) of His mouth
more than my daily food.
13 But He is unchangeable; who can oppose Him?
He does what He desires.(U)
14 He will certainly accomplish what He has decreed for me,
and He has many more things like these in mind.[i]
15 Therefore I am terrified(V) in His presence;
when I consider this, I am afraid of Him.
16 God has made my heart faint;(W)
the Almighty has terrified me.
17 Yet I am not destroyed[j] by the darkness,(X)
by the thick darkness that covers my face.
Greeting
1 Simeon[a] Peter,(A) a slave and an apostle(B) of Jesus Christ:
To those who have obtained a faith of equal privilege with ours[b] through the righteousness(C) of our God and Savior(D) Jesus Christ.
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God(E) and of Jesus our Lord.
Growth in the Faith
3 His[c] divine power(F) has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge(G) of Him who called(H) us by[d] His own glory and goodness. 4 By these He has given us very great and precious promises,(I) so that through them you may share in the divine nature,(J) escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control,(K) self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection,(L) and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless(M) or unfruitful(N) in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election,(O) because if you do these things you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom(P) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.