Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

³ When I said nothing to God about my sin,
    my whole body became weak.
I cried all the time because of the pain.
⁴ In the day and in the night,
    you punished me very much.
It seemed as if the hot sun was taking away my strength.
Selah.
⁵ Then I told you about my sins.
I did not try to hide the bad things that I had done.
I said, ‘I will tell the Lord
    about the things that I have done against him.’
When I did that, you forgave my sins.
Selah.
⁶ Because of this, all your own people should pray to you.
They should pray while they still have the chance.^[b]
Then, when danger comes to them like a river of deep water,
    they will still be safe.
⁷ Yes, Lord, you are a place where I can hide.
    You will keep me safe from trouble.
I will hear happy songs all around me,
    because you save your people from danger.
Selah.

    Have peace in your mind about him.
Then you will again have good success.
²² Listen to his teaching.
    Remember carefully what he tells you.
²³ Turn back to the Almighty God,
    so that you become strong again.
Stop all the evil things that happen in your house.
²⁴ Throw away your gold things.
    Throw your pure gold among the rocks in the streams.
²⁵ Then the Almighty God will be like gold for you.
    He will be like your valuable silver.^[a]
26 You will be happy that Almighty God is your friend.
    You will look up to him to help you.
²⁷ You will pray to him, and he will answer you.
    You will do the things that you have promised to him.
²⁸ You will be able to do everything that you decide to do.
    Light from God will show you the right way to go.
²⁹ You will pray for God to help people who are in trouble.
    God will save those people who are humble.
³⁰ God will rescue even people who are guilty.
Because you do what is right,
    God will save those people.’

² ‘I continue to complain against God
    because I am still angry today.
God continues to punish me
    even when I cry in pain.
³ I would like to know where to find him.
    Then I could go to the place where he lives.
⁴ I would tell him why I am not guilty.
    I would say many things to explain this to him.
⁵ Then I would know how he would answer me.
    I would understand what he would say to me.
⁶ Would God use his great power to argue against me?
    No! He would listen carefully to me.
⁷ Honest people can explain things to him.
    So he would judge me in a fair way.
    He would let me go free.

⁸ I look for God in the east, but he is not there.
    I do not find him in the west either.
⁹ When he does his work in the north,
    I do not see him.
When he moves to the south,
    I still cannot find him anywhere.
¹⁰ But he knows the way that I live.
When he has finished testing me,
    he will see that I am pure.
    I will be as pure as gold.
¹¹ I have always lived in the way that God showed me.
    I have obeyed him faithfully.
    I have not turned away from his teaching.
¹² I have been careful to obey his commands.
    His words are more important to me than my food.
¹³ But he is always true to himself.
    Nobody can change him.
Whatever he wants to do, he does.
¹⁴ He will do to me everything that he has decided to do.
    He has plans to do many things like this.
¹⁵ Because of that,
    I am afraid of him.
When I think about all these things,
    I am very afraid.
¹⁶ God has made me become weak with fear.
    Almighty God has frightened me.
¹⁷ Because of all my troubles,
    I seem to be in a very dark place.
The darkness seems to cover me.
    But I will not be afraid to speak.