Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 74
Prayer for Israel
A Maskil of Asaph.(A)
1 Why have you rejected us forever, God?
Why does your anger burn
against the sheep of your pasture?(B)
2 Remember your congregation,
which you purchased long ago
and redeemed as the tribe for your own possession.(C)
Remember Mount Zion where you dwell.(D)
3 Make your way[a] to the perpetual ruins,
to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary.(E)
4 Your adversaries roared in the meeting place
where you met with us.[b]
They set up their emblems as signs.(F)
5 It was like men in a thicket of trees,
wielding axes,(G)
6 then smashing all the carvings
with hatchets and picks.(H)
7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
they utterly[c] desecrated
the dwelling place of your name.(I)
8 They said in their hearts,
“Let’s oppress them relentlessly.”
They burned every place throughout the land
where God met with us.[d](J)
9 There are no signs for us to see.
There is no longer a prophet.
And none of us knows how long this will last.(K)
10 God, how long will the enemy mock?
Will the foe insult your name forever?(L)
11 Why do you hold back your hand?
Stretch out[e] your right hand and destroy them!(M)
12 God my King is from ancient times,
performing saving acts on the earth.(N)
13 You divided the sea with your strength;
you smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the water;(O)
14 you crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you fed him to the creatures of the desert. (P)
15 You opened up springs and streams;(Q)
you dried up ever-flowing rivers.(R)
16 The day is yours, also the night;
you established the moon and the sun.(S)
17 You set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made summer and winter.(T)
18 Remember this: the enemy has mocked the Lord,
and a foolish people has insulted your name.(U)
19 Do not give to beasts the life of your dove;[f]
do not forget the lives of your poor people forever.(V)
20 Consider the covenant,(W)
for the dark places of the land are full of violence.(X)
21 Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.(Y)
22 Rise up, God, champion your cause!(Z)
Remember the insults
that fools bring against you all day long.(AA)
23 Do not forget the clamor of your adversaries,
the tumult of your opponents that goes up constantly.(AB)
16 Lord, they went to you in their distress;(A)
they poured out whispered prayers
because your discipline fell on them.[a]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pains,(B)
so we were before you, Lord.
18 We became pregnant, we writhed in pain;
we gave birth to wind.
We have won no victories on earth,
and the earth’s inhabitants have not fallen.
19 Your dead will live; their bodies[b] will rise.(C)
Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust!
For you will be covered with the morning dew,[c]
and the earth will bring out the departed spirits.
20 Go, my people, enter your rooms
and close your doors behind you.
Hide for a little while until the wrath has passed.(D)
21 For look, the Lord is coming from his place(E)
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity.(F)
The earth will reveal the blood shed on it
and will no longer conceal her slain.
Leviathan Slain
27 On that day the Lord with his relentless, large, strong sword will bring judgment on Leviathan,(G) the fleeing serpent—Leviathan, the twisting serpent. He will slay the monster that is in the sea.(H)
A House Divided
14 Now(A) he was driving out a demon(B) that was mute.(C) When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul,(D) the ruler(E) of the demons.”(F) 16 And others, as a test,(G) were demanding of him a sign(H) from heaven.
17 Knowing their thoughts,(I) he told them, “Every kingdom divided(J) against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan(K) also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom(L) stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons(M) drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God,(N) then the kingdom of God(O) has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers(P) him, he takes from him all his weapons[a](Q) he trusted(R) in, and divides up his plunder.(S) 23 Anyone who is not with me is against me,(T) and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit’s Return
24 “When(U) an unclean spirit(V) comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest,(W) and not finding rest, it then[b] says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ 25 Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits(X) more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”(Y)
True Blessedness
27 As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd(Z) raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!” (AA)
28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God(AB) and keep it.”(AC)
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