Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
(By David for praise.)
The Lord Is Kind and Merciful
1 I will praise you,
my God and King,
and always honor your name.
2 I will praise you each day
and always honor your name.
3 You are wonderful, Lord,
and you deserve all praise,
because you are much greater
than anyone can understand.
4 Each generation will announce
to the next your wonderful
and powerful deeds.
5 I will keep thinking about
your marvelous glory
and your mighty miracles.[a]
6 Everyone will talk about
your fearsome deeds,
and I will tell all nations
how great you are.
7 They will celebrate and sing
about your matchless mercy
and your power to save.
8 You are merciful, Lord!
You are kind and patient
and always loving.
9 You are good to everyone,
and you take care
of all your creation.
10 All creation will thank you,
and your loyal people
will praise you.
11 They will tell about
your marvelous kingdom
and your power.
12 Then everyone will know about
the mighty things you do
and your glorious kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will never end,
and you will rule forever.
Our Lord, you keep your word
and do everything you say.[b]
14 When someone stumbles or falls,
you give a helping hand.
15 Everyone depends on you,
and when the time is right,
you provide them with food.
16 By your own hand you satisfy
the desires of all who live.
17 Our Lord, everything you do
is kind and thoughtful,
18 and you are near to everyone
whose prayers are sincere.
19 You satisfy the desires
of all your worshipers,
and you come to save them
when they ask for help.
20 You take care of everyone
who loves you,
but you destroy the wicked.
21 I will praise you, Lord,
and everyone will respect
your holy name forever.
A Promise of the Lord's Protection
54 (A) Sing and shout,
even though you have never
had children!
The Lord has promised that you
will have more children
than someone married
for a long time.
2 Make your tents larger!
Spread out the tent pegs;
fasten them firmly.
3 You and your descendants
will take over the land
of other nations.
You will settle in towns
that are now in ruins.
4 Don't be afraid or ashamed
and don't be discouraged.
You won't be disappointed.
Forget how sinful you were
when you were young;
stop feeling ashamed
for being left a widow.
5 The Lord All-Powerful,
the Holy God of Israel,
rules all the earth.
He is your Creator and husband,
and he will rescue you.
6 You were like a young wife,
brokenhearted and crying
because her husband
had divorced her.
But the Lord your God says,
“I am taking you back!
7 I rejected you for a while,
but with love and tenderness
I will embrace you again.
8 For a while, I turned away
in furious anger.
Now I will have mercy
and love you forever!
I, your protector and Lord,
make this promise.”
Rules for Christian Living
9 Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. 10 Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. 11 Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. 12 Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. 13 Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home.
14 (A) Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. 15 (B) When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. 16 (C) Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you know more than others. Make friends with ordinary people.[a] 17 Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, 18 and do your best to live at peace with everyone.
19 (D) Dear friends, don't try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says,
“I am the one to take revenge
and pay them back.”
20 (E) The Scriptures also say,
“If your enemies are hungry,
give them something to eat.
And if they are thirsty,
give them something
to drink.
This will be the same
as piling burning coals
on their heads.”
21 Don't let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.