Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
This is a song that David wrote.
The leader must use the music ‘Death of the son.’
A song to thank God[a]
9 All that I am says ‘thank you’ to the Lord.
I will tell people about all the great things that you have done.
2 I will be very happy because of you.
I will sing to praise your name, Most High God.
3 Because my enemies have seen your power,
they turned back and they fell down.
You won against them.
4 You showed that I was right.
You sat on your throne
as a judge who truly decides what is right.
5 Clearly you spoke against the nations.
You destroyed the wicked people,
so that nobody will remember them ever again.
6 Down came the cities of our enemies!
You destroyed them for ever.
People will just forget them.
7 Every day the Lord will rule as king.
He sits on his throne as judge.
8 He is fair when he judges all the people in the world.
He brings justice to all the nations.
9 For people who suffer, the Lord gives them a safe place.
When trouble comes to them, he keeps them safe.
10 Everyone who knows you, Lord, trusts in you.
You will never turn away from anyone who comes to you for help.
11 Give a song to the Lord to praise him!
He rules as king in Zion.
Tell all the nations about the great things that he has done.
12 God punishes murderers,
and he takes care of people who receive pain from others.
When they call to him,
he does not refuse to help them.
13 How my enemies cause me to suffer!
Please be kind to me, Lord.
You are the one who can save me from death.
14 Then I will praise you for everyone to hear!
I will tell the people of Zion that you have saved me,
and I will be very happy!
Job replies to Eliphaz[a]
16 Then Job replied. This is what he said:
2 ‘I have heard all these things before.
You are not making my troubles any better.
You are making them worse!
3 Please stop speaking useless words.
Why do you talk to me like that?
4 If you were suffering like I am,
I could say the same things to you.
I could speak for a long time
about the wrong things that you have done.
I could shake my head
and laugh at you.
5 But, instead, I would help you to be strong.
I would say things to comfort you.
6 But now, if I speak,
my pain does not become any better.
If I stop speaking,
my pain continues to be there.
7 God, you have made me very weak.
You have destroyed my family.
8 You have taken hold of me.
Because of my troubles,
people think that I am guilty.
Because my body is so thin,
people think that I have done bad things.
9 God attacks me and he punishes me because he is angry.
He shows his anger like a wild animal.
He has become my enemy.
10 People insult me and they laugh at me.
They hit me on my face.
They all join together to attack me.
11 God has allowed evil men to take hold of me.
He has put me under the power of wicked men.
12 I was living in peace,
but then God destroyed me.
He took hold of my neck
and he shook me to pieces.
He decided to shoot his arrows at me.
13 His arrows come from all around me.
They go deep into my body
and my blood pours out on the ground.
But God still does not feel sorry for me.
14 He attacks me again and again.
He rushes to attack me like a strong fighter.
15 I have used sackcloth to make my clothes.[b]
I am no longer proud of my strength,
and I sit in the dust.
16 I have cried so much that my face is red.
There are dark circles around my eyes.
17 But I have not been cruel.
And when I pray, I speak honestly to God.
18 The earth should not hide my blood!
People should remember how I have suffered.
They should not forget that I asked for justice.
19 But even now, I know that I have a friend in heaven.
He knows that I am not guilty.
He speaks on my behalf.
20 My friends have turned against me.
I cry with many tears as I pray to God.
21 I need someone to speak to God on my behalf.
He should ask God not to punish me,
as someone might try to help his friends.
Jesus tells a story about two servants
45 Jesus then said, ‘You should be like a wise servant. Be someone that the master can trust. The master will choose a man like that. He will say to him, “Rule over my house and all my other servants. Give everyone their food to eat at the right time.” 46 That servant will be very happy when his master comes home. His master will see that he has done everything well. 47 Yes, I tell you this: The master will give that servant authority to rule over everything in his house. 48 But another servant might be bad. He might say to himself, “My master will not come yet.” 49 Then he begins to hit the other servants. He eats too much and he drinks too much. He meets with other people who become drunk. 50 Then the master of that servant will come home and he will surprise the servant. He did not think that his master would come home on that day or at that time. 51 Then the master will punish him a lot. He will put the servant with those people who do not obey him. The people in that place will cry and they will bite their teeth together.’
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