Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
147 Praise the Lord because he is good.
Sing praises to our God.
It is good and pleasant to praise him.
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem.
He brings back the Israelites who were taken as prisoners.
3 He heals their broken hearts
and bandages their wounds.
4 He counts the stars
and knows each of them by name.
5 Our Lord is great and powerful.
There is no limit to what he knows.
6 The Lord supports the humble,
but he shames the wicked.
7 Give thanks to the Lord.
Praise our God with harps.
8 He fills the sky with clouds.
He sends rain to the earth.
He makes the grass grow on the mountains.
9 He gives food to the animals.
He feeds the young birds that cry out.
10 War horses and powerful soldiers
are not what he cares about.
11 The Lord enjoys people who worship him
and trust in his faithful love.
20 He did not do this for any other nation.
He did not teach his laws to other people.
Praise the Lord!
36 Elihu continued talking and said,
2 “Be patient with me a little longer.
God has a few more words that he wants me to say.
3 I will share my knowledge with everyone.
I will prove that my Maker is right.
4 Job, I am telling the truth.
I know what I am talking about.
5 “God is very powerful, but he does not hate people.
He is very powerful, but he is also very wise.
6 He will not let evil people live.
He brings justice to the poor.
7 He watches over those who live right.
He lets them rule in high places.
8 So if people are punished,
if they are tied with chains and ropes, they did something wrong.
9 And God will tell them what they did,
that they sinned and were proud.
10 He will force them to listen to his warning.
He will command them to stop sinning.
11 If they serve and obey him, he will make them successful
and they will live a happy life.
12 But if they refuse to obey him, they will be destroyed.
They will die like fools.
13 “People who don’t care about God are always bitter.
Even when he punishes them, they refuse to pray to him for help.
14 They will die while they are still young,
like the male prostitutes.
15 God saves those who suffer by using their suffering.
He uses their troubles to speak in a way that makes them listen.
16 “In fact, God wants to help you out of your troubles.
He wants to take away your burdens that are crushing you.
He wants to load your table with plenty of food.
17 But you are full of this talk about guilt, judgment, and justice!
18 Job, don’t let your anger fill you with doubt about God.
And don’t let the price of forgiveness turn you away.
19 Do you think your wealth will keep you out of trouble?
Will your great strength be of any help to you now?
20 Don’t be like those who wish darkness would come and hide them.
They try to disappear into the night.[a]
21 Job, don’t let your suffering cause you to choose evil.
Be careful not to do wrong.
22 “Look, God’s power makes him great!
He is the greatest teacher of all.
23 No one can tell him what to do.
No one can say, ‘God, you have done wrong.’
Rights That Paul Has Not Used
9 I am a free man. I am an apostle. I have seen Jesus our Lord. You people are an example of my work in the Lord. 2 Others may not accept me as an apostle, but surely you do. You are proof that I am an apostle in the Lord.
3 Some people want to judge me. So this is the answer I give them: 4 We have the right to eat and drink, don’t we? 5 We have the right to bring a believing wife with us when we travel, don’t we? The other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter all do this. 6 And are Barnabas and I the only ones who must work to earn our living? 7 No soldier ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. No one ever plants a vineyard without eating some of the grapes himself. No one takes care of a flock of sheep without drinking some of the milk himself.
8 These aren’t just my own thoughts. God’s law says the same thing. 9 Yes, it is written in the Law of Moses: “When a work animal is being used to separate grain, don’t keep it from eating the grain.”[a] When God said this, was he thinking only about work animals? No. 10 He was really talking about us. Yes, that was written for us. The one who plows and the one who separates the grain should both expect to get some of the grain for their work. 11 We planted spiritual seed among you, so we should be able to harvest from you some things for this life. Surely that is not asking too much. 12 Others have this right to get things from you. So surely we have this right too. But we don’t use this right. No, we endure everything ourselves so that we will not stop anyone from obeying the Good News of Christ. 13 Surely you know that those who work at the Temple get their food from the Temple. And those who serve at the altar get part of what is offered at the altar. 14 It is the same with those who have the work of telling the Good News. The Lord has commanded that those who tell the Good News should get their living from this work.
15 But I have not used any of these rights, and I am not trying to get anything from you. That is not my purpose for writing this. I would rather die than to have someone take away what for me is a great source of pride. 16 It’s not my work of telling the Good News that gives me any reason to boast. That is my duty—something I must do. If I don’t tell people the Good News, I am in real trouble.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International