Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A maskil of David.
32 Blessed is the person whose lawless acts are forgiven.
Their sins have been taken away.
2 Blessed is the person whose sin the Lord never counts against them.
That person doesn’t want to cheat anyone.
3 When I kept silent about my sin,
my body became weak
because I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night
you punished me.
I became weaker and weaker
as I do in the heat of summer.
5 Then I admitted my sin to you.
I didn’t cover up the wrong I had done.
I said, “I will admit my lawless acts to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
6 Let everyone who is faithful pray to you
while they can still look to you.
When troubles come like a flood,
they certainly won’t reach those who are faithful.
7 You are my hiding place.
You will keep me safe from trouble.
You will surround me with songs sung by those who praise you
because you save your people.
21 “Job, obey God and be at peace with him.
Then he will help you succeed.
22 Do what he teaches you to do.
Keep his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Mighty One,
you will have what you had before.
But first you must remove
everything that is evil far from your tent.
24 You must throw your gold nuggets away.
You must toss your gold from Ophir into a valley.
25 Then the Mighty One himself will be your gold.
He’ll be like the finest silver to you.
26 You will find delight in the Mighty One.
You will honor God and trust in him.
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you.
You will keep the promises you made to him.
28 What you decide to do will be done.
Light will shine on the path you take.
29 When people are brought low you will say, ‘Lift them up!’
Then God will help them.
30 He’ll even save those who are guilty.
He’ll save them because your hands are clean.”
Job’s Reply
23 Job replied,
2 “Even today my problems are more than I can handle.
In spite of my groans, God’s hand is heavy on me.
3 I wish I knew where I could find him!
I wish I could go to the place where he lives!
4 I would state my case to him.
I’d give him all my arguments.
5 I’d find out what his answers would be.
I’d think about what he would say to me.
6 Would he strongly oppose me?
No. He wouldn’t bring charges against me.
7 There honest people can prove to him they’re not guilty.
There my Judge would tell me once and for all that I’m not guilty.
8 “But if I go to the east, God isn’t there.
If I go to the west, I don’t find him.
9 When he’s working in the north, I don’t see him there.
When he turns to the south, I don’t see him there either.
10 But he knows every step I take.
When he has tested me,
I’ll come out as pure as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps.
I’ve stayed on his path without turning away.
12 I haven’t disobeyed his commands.
I’ve treasured his words more than my daily bread.
13 “But he’s the only God. Who can oppose him?
He does anything he wants to do.
14 He carries out his plans against me.
And he still has many other plans just like them.
15 That’s why I’m so terrified.
When I think about all of this, I’m afraid of him.
16 God has made my heart weak.
The Mighty One has filled me with terror.
17 But even the darkness of death won’t make me silent.
When the darkness of the grave covers my face, I won’t be quiet.
1 I, Simon Peter, am writing this letter. I serve Jesus Christ. I am his apostle.
I am sending this letter to you. You are those who have received a faith as valuable as ours. You received it because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right.
2 May more and more grace and peace be given to you. May they come to you as you learn more about God and about Jesus our Lord.
Showing That God Has Chosen You
3 God’s power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. All of this has come to us because we know the God who chose us. He chose us because of his own glory and goodness. 4 He has also given us his very great and valuable promises. He did it so you could share in his nature. You can share in it because you’ve escaped from the evil in the world. This evil is caused by sinful desires.
5 So you should try very hard to add goodness to your faith. To goodness, add knowledge. 6 To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves, add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness. 7 To godliness, add kindness for one another. And to kindness for one another, add love. 8 All these things should describe you more and more. They will make you useful and fruitful as you know our Lord Jesus Christ better. 9 But what if these things don’t describe someone at all? Then that person can’t see very well. In fact, they are blind. They have forgotten that their past sins have been washed away.
10 My brothers and sisters, try very hard to show that God has appointed you to be saved. Try hard to show that he has chosen you. If you do everything I have just said, you will never trip and fall. 11 You will receive a rich welcome into the kingdom that lasts forever. It is the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.