Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
11 Lord, be true to your name.
Forgive my sin, even though it is great.
12 Who are the people who have respect for the Lord?
God will teach them the ways they should choose.
13 Things will always go well for them.
Their children will be given the land.
14 The Lord shares his plans with those who have respect for him.
He makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes always look to the Lord.
He alone can set my feet free from the trap.
16 Turn to me and help me.
I am lonely and hurting.
17 Take away the troubles of my heart.
Set me free from my great pain.
18 Look at how I’m hurting! See how much I suffer!
Take away all my sins.
19 Look at how many enemies I have!
See how terrible their hatred is for me!
20 Guard my life. Save me.
Don’t let me be put to shame.
I go to you for safety.
19 It is better to be poor and to live without blame
than to be foolish and to twist words around.
2 Getting excited about something without knowledge isn’t good.
It’s even worse to be in a hurry and miss the way.
3 A person’s own foolish acts destroy their life.
But their heart is angry with the Lord.
4 Wealth brings many friends.
But even the closest friend of a poor person abandons them.
5 A dishonest witness will be punished.
And whoever pours out lies will not go free.
6 Many try to win the favor of rulers.
And everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts.
7 Poor people are avoided by their whole family.
Their friends avoid them even more.
The poor person runs after his friends to beg for help.
But they can’t be found.
8 Anyone who gets wisdom loves life.
Anyone who values understanding will soon succeed.
9 A dishonest witness will be punished.
And those who pour out lies will die.
10 It isn’t proper for a foolish person to live in great comfort.
And it is much worse when a slave rules over princes!
11 A person’s wisdom makes them patient.
They will be honored if they forgive someone who sins against them.
12 A king’s anger is like a lion’s roar.
But his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish child is a father’s ruin.
A nagging wife is like dripping that never stops.
14 You will receive houses and wealth from your parents.
But a wise wife is given by the Lord.
15 Anyone who doesn’t want to work sleeps his life away.
And a person who refuses to work goes hungry.
16 Those who keep commandments keep their lives.
But those who don’t care how they live will die.
17 Anyone who is kind to poor people lends to the Lord.
God will reward them for what they have done.
More Instructions About Loving and Hating One Another
11 From the beginning we have heard that we should love one another. 12 Don’t be like Cain. He belonged to the evil one. He murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because the things Cain had done were wrong. But the things his brother had done were right. 13 My brothers and sisters, don’t be surprised if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have left our old dead way of life. And we have entered into new life. We know this because we love one another. Anyone who doesn’t love still lives in their old condition. 15 Anyone who hates their brother or sister is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life.
16 We know what love is because Jesus Christ gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 Suppose someone sees a brother or sister in need and is able to help them. And suppose that person doesn’t take pity on these needy people. Then how can the love of God be in that person?
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