Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A Song of degrees.

123 Unto thee do I lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.

² Behold, as the eyes of servants [look] unto the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes [are directed] to Jehovah our God, until he be gracious unto us.

³ Be gracious unto us, O Jehovah, be gracious unto us; for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

⁴ Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.

21 And Job answered and said,

¹⁷ How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, and cometh their calamity upon them? Doth he distribute sorrows [to them] in his anger?

¹⁸ Do they become as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away?

¹⁹ +God layeth up [the punishment of] his iniquity for his children; he rewardeth him, and he shall know [it]:

²⁰ His eyes shall see his destruction, and he shall drink of the fury of the Almighty.

²¹ For what pleasure should he have in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off?

²² Can any teach God knowledge? And he it is that judgeth those that are high.

²³ One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet;

²⁴ His sides are full of fat, and the marrow of his bones is moistened;

²⁵ And another dieth in bitterness of soul, and hath not tasted good:

²⁶ Together they lie down in the dust, and the worms cover them.

²⁷ Lo, I know your thoughts, and the devices ye wrongfully imagine against me.

²⁸ For ye say, Where is the house of the noble? and where the tent of the dwellings of the wicked?

²⁹ Have ye not asked the wayfarers? and do ye not regard their tokens:

³⁰ That the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity? They are led forth to the day of wrath.

³¹ Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done?

³² Yet is he carried to the graves, and watch is kept over the tomb.

³³ The clods of the valley are sweet unto him; and every man followeth suit after him, as there were innumerable before him.

³⁴ How then comfort ye me in vain? Your answers remain perfidious.

¹ The elder to [the] elect lady and her children, whom *I* love in truth, and not *I* only but also all who have known the truth,

² for the truth's sake which abides in us and shall be with us to eternity.

³ Grace shall be with you, mercy, peace from God [the] Father, and from [the] Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

⁴ I rejoiced greatly that I have found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received commandment from the Father.

⁵ And now I beseech thee, lady, not as writing to thee a new commandment, but that which we have had from [the] beginning, that we should love one another.

⁶ And this is love, that we should walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, according as ye have heard from the beginning, that ye might walk in it.

⁷ For many deceivers have gone out into the world, they who do not confess Jesus Christ coming in flesh—this is the deceiver and the antichrist.

⁸ See to yourselves, that we may not lose what we have wrought, but may receive full wages.

⁹ Whosoever goes forward and abides not in the doctrine of the Christ has not God. He that abides in the doctrine, *he* has both the Father and the Son.

¹⁰ If any one come to you and bring not this doctrine, do not receive him into [the] house, and greet him not;

¹¹ for he who greets him partakes in his wicked works.

¹² Having many things to write to you, I would not with paper and ink; but hope to come to you, and to speak mouth to mouth, that our joy may be full.

¹³ The children of thine elect sister greet thee.