Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Book 4 (Psalms 90-106)
Psalm 90[a]
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 O Lord, you have been our protector[b] through all generations.
2 Even before the mountains came into existence,[c]
or you brought the world into being,[d]
you were the eternal God.[e]
3 You make mankind return[f] to the dust,[g]
and say, “Return, O people.”
4 Yes,[h] in your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday that quickly passes,
or like one of the divisions of the nighttime.[i]
5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.”[j]
In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up:
6 In the morning it glistens[k] and sprouts up;
at evening time it withers[l] and dries up.
7 Yes,[m] we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
8 You are aware of our sins;[n]
you even know about our hidden sins.[o]
9 Yes,[p] throughout all our days we experience your raging fury;[q]
the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh.[r]
10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years,[s]
or eighty, if one is especially strong.[t]
But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression.[u]
Yes,[v] they pass quickly[w] and we fly away.[x]
11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger?[y]
Your raging fury causes people to fear you.[z]
12 So teach us to consider our mortality,[aa]
so that we might live wisely.[ab]
13 Turn back toward us, O Lord.
How long must this suffering last?[ac]
Have pity on your servants.[ad]
14 Satisfy us in the morning[ae] with your loyal love.
Then we will shout for joy and be happy[af] all our days.
15 Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us,
in proportion to the years we have experienced[ag] trouble.
16 May your servants see your work.[ah]
May their sons see your majesty.[ai]
17 May our Sovereign God extend his favor to us.[aj]
Make our endeavors successful.
Yes, make them successful.[ak]
The Budding of Aaron’s Staff
17 [a] The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites, and receive from them a staff from each tribe,[b] one from every tribal leader,[c] twelve staffs; you must write each man’s name on his staff. 3 You must write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi; for one staff is for the head of every tribe.[d] 4 You must place them[e] in the tent of meeting before the ark of the covenant[f] where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom; so I will rid myself of the complaints of the Israelites, which they murmur against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their leaders gave him a staff, one for each leader,[g] according to their tribes[h]—twelve staffs; the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 Then Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.[i]
8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony—and[j] the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted, and brought forth buds, and produced blossoms, and yielded almonds![k] 9 So Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the Israelites. They looked at them,[l] and each man took his staff.
The Memorial
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s staff back before the testimony to be preserved for a sign to the rebels, so that you may bring their murmurings to an end[m] before me, that they will not die.”[n] 11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him—this is what he did.
The False Teachers’ Denial of the Lord’s Return
3 Dear friends, this is already the second letter I have written[a] you, in which[b] I am trying to stir up[c] your pure mind by way of reminder: 2 I want you to recall[d] both[e] the predictions[f] foretold by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.[g] 3 Above all, understand this:[h] In the last days blatant scoffers[i] will come, being propelled by their own evil urges[j] 4 and saying,[k] “Where is his promised return?[l] For ever since[m] our ancestors[n] died,[o] all things have continued as they were[p] from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately suppress this fact,[q] that by the word of God[r] heavens existed long ago and an earth[s] was formed out of water and by means of water. 6 Through these things[t] the world existing at that time was destroyed when it was deluged with water. 7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, by being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.[u]
8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice,[v] that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise,[w] as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish[x] for any[y] to perish but for all to come to repentance.[z] 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes,[aa] the heavens will disappear[ab] with a horrific noise,[ac] and the celestial bodies[ad] will melt away[ae] in a blaze,[af] and the earth and every deed done on it[ag] will be laid bare.[ah] 11 Since all these things are to melt away[ai] in this manner,[aj] what sort of people must you[ak] be, conducting your lives in holiness and godliness,[al] 12 while waiting for and hastening[am] the coming of the day of God?[an] Because of this day,[ao] the heavens will be burned up and[ap] dissolve, and the celestial bodies[aq] will melt away in a blaze![ar] 13 But, according to his promise, we are waiting for[as] new heavens and a new earth, in which[at] righteousness truly resides.[au]
Exhortation to the Faithful
14 Therefore, dear friends, since you are waiting for[av] these things, strive to be found[aw] at peace, without spot or blemish, when you come into his presence.[ax] 15 And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation,[ay] just as also our dear brother Paul[az] wrote to you,[ba] according to the wisdom given to him, 16 speaking of these things in all his letters.[bb] Some things in these letters[bc] are hard to understand, things[bd] the ignorant and unstable twist[be] to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures.[bf] 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned,[bg] be on your guard that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men[bh] and fall from your firm grasp on the truth.[bi] 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge[bj] of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on[bk] that eternal day.[bl]
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