Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
BOOK IV (Psalms 90-106)
A prayer by Moses, the godly man
Life is Short
90 Lord, you’ve been our refuge[a]
from generation to generation.
2 Before the mountains were formed
or the earth and the world were brought forth,
you are God from eternity to eternity.
3 You return people to dust
merely by[b] saying, “Return, you mortals!”
4 One thousand years in your sight are but a single day
that passes by, just like a night watch.
5 You will sweep them away while they are asleep—
by morning they are like growing grass.
6 In the morning it blossoms and is renewed,
but toward evening, it fades and withers.
7 Indeed, we are consumed[c] by your anger
and terrified by your wrath.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
what we have concealed in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass[a] away in your wrath;
our years fade away[b] and end like a sigh.
10 We live for 70 years,
or 80 years if we’re healthy,[c]
yet even in the prime years[d] there are troubles and sorrow.
They pass by quickly and we fly away.
11 Who can know the intensity of your anger?
Because our fear of you matches your wrath,
12 teach us to keep account of our days
so we may develop inner wisdom.
The Harvest Approaches
10 “Look out! The day!
“Look out! It’s coming!
“Doom has blossomed.
“Arrogance has sprouted!
11 “Violence has matured into a branch that is wicked. No one will survive from that vast crowd, from their wealthy people, or from the famous among them.
12 “The time has come!
“The day has arrived.[a] Don’t let the buyer rejoice, nor the seller lament, because wrath is coming to attack the entire multitude. 13 The seller won’t regain what he has sold while the crowd remains[b] alive, because the vision concerning the entire multitude won’t be annulled. No person will be able to survive because of the sin in his life.
14 “They’ve sounded the alarm,[c] and everyone is prepared, but no one is marching for battle, since I’m angry at the entire multitude. 15 The sword lurks outside, but pestilence and famine are on the prowl inside the house. Whoever is in the field will die by violence,[d] while famine and pestilence will devour those in the city. 16 Fugitives will escape to the mountains like doves fleeing through the valleys, all of them moaning because of their own iniquity. 17 Every hand will be limp. Every knee will glisten with sweat.”[e]
The Coming Terror
18 “They’ll clothe themselves with sackcloth, terror will overcome them, shame will cover their faces, and baldness will spread over their entire heads. 19 They’ll fling their silver into the streets, and their gold will be cast away as impure. Their silver and gold won’t be able to deliver them during the time[f] of the Lord’s wrath. They won’t be able to satisfy their appetites or fill their stomachs, because their iniquity has tripped them up.”
The Temple Defiled
20 “As for his beautiful ornament,[g] he set it up in majesty, but they made detestable images and loathsome idols. Therefore, I’ll give them something loathsome— 21 I’ll give it as plunder into the control of strangers and as the spoils of war to the wicked who will invade the land to profane it. 22 I’ll turn my face away from them so that they’ll defile my treasured place. Robbers will enter and profane it!
23 “Forge a chain, because the land is full of bloody judgment and the city is filled with violence. 24 Therefore, I’m bringing the worst of the nations, who will take possession of their houses. I’ll cause the pride of the mighty to cease, and their sanctuaries will be profaned.
25 “When destruction comes, they’ll seek peace, but there will be none to be found. 26 Disaster upon disaster will come, followed by rumor after rumor. They’ll seek an oracle from the prophet, but the Law will be gone from the priests, and counsel from the elders.
27 “The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with desolation,[h] and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I’ll deal with them according to their behavior and I will judge them by how they’ve judged. Then they’ll learn[i] that I am the Lord.”
The Return of the Unclean Spirit(A)
43 “Whenever an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through waterless places looking for a place to rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will go back to my home that I left.’ When it arrives, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and settle there. And so the final condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That’s just what will happen to this evil generation!”
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