Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
BOOK IV
(Psalms 90–106)
Psalm 90
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, you have been our help,
generation after generation.
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you birthed the earth and the inhabited world—
from forever in the past
to forever in the future, you are God.
3 You return people to dust,
saying, “Go back, humans,”
4 because in your perspective a thousand years
are like yesterday past,
like a short period during the night watch.
5 You sweep humans away like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning.
6 True, in the morning it thrives, renewed,
but come evening it withers, all dried up.
7 Yes, we are wasting away because of your wrath;
we are paralyzed with fear on account of your rage.
8 You put our sins right in front of you,
set our hidden faults in the light from your face.
9 Yes, all our days slip away because of your fury;
we finish up our years with a whimper.
10 We live at best to be seventy years old,
maybe eighty, if we’re strong.
But their duration brings hard work and trouble
because they go by so quickly.
And then we fly off.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?
The honor that is due you corresponds to your wrath.
12 Teach us to number our days
so we can have a wise heart.
The end
7 The Lord’s word came to me: 2 You, human one, this is what the Lord God proclaims to the land of Israel:
An end! The end has come to the four corners of the earth!
3 Even now the end is upon you!
I’ll send my anger against you,
I’ll judge you according to your ways,
and I’ll turn all your detestable practices against you.
4 I won’t shed a tear for you or show any pity.
Instead, I’ll turn your ways against you,
and your detestable practices will stay with you.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
5 The Lord God proclaims:
Disaster! A singular disaster! Look, it comes!
6 The end has come! Oh, yes, it has come!
It has come to you! Look, it’s here!
7 You who live on the earth,
you are finally caught in your own trap!
The time has come; the day draws near.
On the hills panic, not glory.
8 And now it’s near!
Against you I will pour out my wrath,
and my anger will be satisfied.
I’ll judge you according to your ways,
and turn all your detestable practices against you.
9 I won’t shed a tear or show any pity
when I turn your ways against you,
and your detestable practices stay with you.
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am the one who strikes you!
8 The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to burn people with fire. 9 The people were burned by intense heat, and they cursed the name of the God who had power over these plagues. But they didn’t change their hearts and lives and give him glory. 10 The fifth angel poured his bowl over the beast’s throne, and darkness covered its kingdom. People bit their tongues because of their pain, 11 and they cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores; but they didn’t turn away from what they had done.
12 Then the sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates. Its water was dried up so that the way was ready for the kings from the east. 13 Then I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, come from the dragon’s mouth, the beast’s mouth, and the mouth of the false prophet. 14 These are demonic spirits that do signs. They go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. (15 Look! I’m coming like a thief! Favored are those who stay awake and clothed so that they don’t go around naked and exposed to shame.) 16 The spirits gathered them at the place that is called in Hebrew, Harmagedon.[a]
17 Then the seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out from the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 There were lightning strikes, voices, and thunder, and a great earthquake occurred. The earthquake was greater than any that have occurred since there have been people on earth. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. God remembered Babylon the great so that he gave her the wine cup of his furious anger. 20 Every island fled, and the mountains disappeared. 21 Huge hailstones weighing about one hundred pounds came down from heaven on the people. They cursed God for the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible