Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 123

A Song of ^[a]Ascents.

¹ Unto You do I lift up my eyes, O You Who are enthroned in heaven.

² Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, and as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy and loving-kindness for us.

³ Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on and loving-kindness for us, for we are exceedingly satiated with contempt.

⁴ Our life is exceedingly filled with the scorning and scoffing of those who are at ease and with the contempt of the proud (irresponsible tyrants who disregard God’s law).

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

² Therefore do my thoughts give me an answer, and I make haste [to offer it] for this reason.

³ I have heard the reproof which puts me to shame, but out of my understanding my spirit answers me.

⁴ Do you not know from of old, since the time that man was placed on the earth,

⁵ That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless and defiled is but for a moment?^(A)

⁶ Though his [proud] height mounts up to the heavens and his head reaches to the clouds,

⁷ Yet he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, Where is he?

⁸ He will fly away like a dream and will not be found; yes, he will be chased away as a vision of the night.

⁹ The eye which saw him will see him no more, neither will his [accustomed] place any more behold him.

¹⁰ The poor will oppress his children, and his hands will give back his [ill-gotten] wealth.

¹¹ His bones are full of youthful energy, but it will lie down with him in the dust.

¹⁶ For we were not following cleverly devised stories when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty (grandeur, authority of sovereign power).

¹⁷ For when He was invested with honor and glory from God the Father and a voice was borne to Him by the [splendid] Majestic Glory [in the bright cloud that overshadowed Him, saying], This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased and delight,

¹⁸ We [actually] heard this voice borne out of heaven, for we were together with Him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹ And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises (^[a]comes into being) in your hearts.

²⁰ [Yet] first [you must] understand this, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of any personal or private or special interpretation (loosening, solving).

²¹ For no prophecy ever originated because some man willed it [to do so—it never came by human impulse], but men spoke from God who were borne along (moved and impelled) by the Holy Spirit.