Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
(A psalm and a song for the Sabbath.)
Sing Praises to the Lord
1 It is wonderful to be grateful
and to sing your praises,
Lord Most High!
2 It is wonderful each morning
to tell about your love
and at night to announce
how faithful you are.
3 I enjoy praising your name
to the music of harps,
4 because everything you do
makes me happy,
and I sing joyful songs.
5 You do great things, Lord.
Your thoughts are too deep
6 (A) for an ignorant fool
to know or understand.
7 Though the wicked sprout
and spread like grass,
they will be pulled up
by their roots.
8 But you will rule
over all of us forever,
9 and your hateful enemies
will be scattered
and then destroyed.
10 You have given me
the strength of a wild ox,
and you have chosen me
to be your very own.
11 My eyes have seen,
and my ears have heard
the doom and destruction
of my evil enemies.
12 Good people will prosper
like palm trees,
and they will grow strong
like the cedars of Lebanon.
13 They will take root
in your house, Lord God,
and they will do well.
14 They will be like trees
that stay healthy and fruitful,
even when they are old.
15 And they will say about you,
“The Lord always does right!
God is our mighty rock.”[a]
3 (A) Faithfully obey my laws, 4 and I will send rain to make your crops grow and your trees produce fruit. 5 Your harvest of grain and grapes will be so abundant, that you won't know what to do with it all. You will eat and be satisfied, and you will live in safety. 6 I will bless your country with peace, and you will rest without fear. I will wipe out the dangerous animals and protect you from enemy attacks. 7 You will chase and destroy your enemies, 8 even if there are only 5 of you and 100 of them, or only 100 of you and 10,000 of them. 9 I will treat you with such kindness that your nation will grow strong, and I will also keep my promises to you. 10 Your barns will overflow with grain each year. 11 I will live among you and never again look on you with disgust. 12 (B) I will walk with you—I will be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, and I rescued you from Egypt, so that you would never again be slaves. I have set you free; now walk with your heads held high.
Punishment for Disobeying the Lord
The Lord said:
14-15 (C) If you disobey me and my laws, and if you break our agreement, 16 I will punish you terribly, and you will be ruined. You will be struck with incurable diseases and with fever that leads to blindness and depression. Your enemies will eat the crops you plant, 17 and I will turn from you and let you be destroyed by your attackers. You will even run at the very rumor of attack. 18 Then, if you still refuse to obey me, I will punish you seven times for each of your sins, 19 until your pride is completely crushed. I will hold back the rain, so the sky above you will be like iron, and the ground beneath your feet will be like copper. 20 All of your hard work will be for nothing—and there will be no harvest of grain or fruit.
A Life That Pleases God
4 Finally, my dear friends, since you belong to the Lord Jesus, we beg and urge you to live as we taught you. Then you will please God. You are already living that way, but try even harder. 2 Remember the instructions we gave you as followers of the Lord Jesus. 3 God wants you to be holy, so don't be immoral in matters of sex. 4 Respect and honor your wife.[a] 5 Don't be a slave of your desires or live like people who don't know God. 6 You must not cheat any of the Lord's followers in matters of sex.[b] Remember, we warned you that he punishes everyone who does such things. 7 God didn't choose you to be filthy, but to be pure. 8 So if you don't obey these rules, you are not really disobeying us. Instead, you are disobeying God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.