Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 41[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Blessed(A) are those who have regard for the weak;(B)
the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.(C)
2 The Lord protects(D) and preserves them—(E)
they are counted among the blessed in the land—(F)
he does not give them over to the desire of their foes.(G)
3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed(H)
and restores them from their bed of illness.(I)
4 I said, “Have mercy(J) on me, Lord;
heal(K) me, for I have sinned(L) against you.”
5 My enemies say of me in malice,
“When will he die and his name perish?(M)”
6 When one of them comes to see me,
he speaks falsely,(N) while his heart gathers slander;(O)
then he goes out and spreads(P) it around.
7 All my enemies whisper together(Q) against me;
they imagine the worst for me, saying,
8 “A vile disease has afflicted him;
he will never get up(R) from the place where he lies.”
9 Even my close friend,(S)
someone I trusted,
one who shared my bread,
has turned[b] against me.(T)
12 the Lord appeared(A) to him at night and said:
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen(B) this place for myself(C) as a temple for sacrifices.
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain,(D) or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name,(E) will humble(F) themselves and pray and seek my face(G) and turn(H) from their wicked ways, then I will hear(I) from heaven, and I will forgive(J) their sin and will heal(K) their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.(L) 16 I have chosen(M) and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully(N) as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees(O) and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted(P) with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor(Q) to rule over Israel.’(R)
19 “But if you[a] turn away(S) and forsake(T) the decrees and commands I have given you[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will uproot(U) Israel from my land,(V) which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule(W) among all peoples. 21 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All[c] who pass by will be appalled(X) and say,(Y) ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them(Z)—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’”
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy when some believers(A) came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.(B) 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children(C) are walking in the truth.(D)
5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,[a](E) even though they are strangers to you.(F) 6 They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way(G) in a manner that honors(H) God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name(I) that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.(J) 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.
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