Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord’s Goodness to the Faithful
A Psalm of David.
138 I will praise You with my whole heart;
(A)Before the gods I will sing praises to You.
2 (B)I will worship (C)toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have (D)magnified Your word above all Your name.
3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul.
15 “Thus says the Lord God: ‘In the day when it (A)went down to [a]hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to [b]mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. 16 I made the nations (B)shake at the sound of its fall, when I (C)cast it down to [c]hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and (D)all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, (E)were comforted in the depths of the earth. 17 They also went down to hell with it, with those slain by the sword; and those who were its strong arm (F)dwelt in its shadows among the nations.
18 (G)‘To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; (H)you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord God.”
Limits of Paul’s Authority
12 (A)For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 13 (B)We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), (C)for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; 15 not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, (D)in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, 16 to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.
17 But (E)“he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 18 For (F)not he who commends himself is approved, but (G)whom the Lord commends.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.