Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
5 They devise plots to dislodge me
from my place on high[a]
and delight in spreading lies about me.
They bless with their lips,
but they curse in their hearts. Selah
6 In God alone be at rest,[b] O my soul;
it is from him that my hope comes.
7 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress, so that I stand unshaken.
8 My deliverance and my glory depend on God;
he is my mighty rock and my refuge.
9 Trust in him at all times, my people,
and pour out your heart before him,[c]
for God is our refuge. Selah
10 Ordinary people are no more than a breath,
and the great are no more than a delusion.
When they are placed on scales all together,
they are lighter than air.[d]
11 Do not place your trust in extortion,
and set no vain hopes in stolen goods;
no matter how greatly your wealth increases,
do not set your heart[e] on it.
12 One thing God has revealed;
two things have I heard:
that power belongs to you, O God,
Jeremiah’s Confession[a]
7 O Lord, you deceived me,
and I allowed myself to be deceived.
You were too powerful for me,
and you have prevailed.
All day long I am an object of ridicule;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I must cry out;
my message is violence and destruction.
For the word of the Lord has caused me to endure
reproach and derision all day long.
9 If I say, “I will not mention him
or speak any longer in his name,”
within me I experience a fire burning in my heart
and imprisoned in my bones.
I am weary holding it in,
and I can no longer do so.
10 For I hear many whispering,
“Terror surrounds us.
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All those who were my close friends
are waiting for me to stumble, saying,
“Perhaps we can trick him,
and we will be able to prevail
and take our revenge against him.”
11 But the Lord is at my side
like a mighty warrior.
Therefore, my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
Because of their failure,
they will be greatly shamed,
and the disgrace that they will endure
will be everlasting and unforgettable.
12 O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous
and probe the mind and the heart.
Let me behold your retribution on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord.
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked.
Chapter 3
The Fact of Christ’s Return
The Day of the Lord Will Come.[a] 1 Beloved, this is now the second letter I have written to you. In both of them I have tried to stir up your memories for a clear understanding 2 so that you might remember the words spoken in the past by the holy Prophets and by the apostles at the command of our Lord and Savior.
3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will appear who have led lives of indulgence. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ that was promised? Ever since our ancestors[b] died, everything has remained just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
5 [c]These people deliberately ignore the fact that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago, and that the earth stands out of water and in water. 6 Furthermore, by these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word, the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and the destruction of sinners.
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