Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.
32 (A)How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord (B)does not take into account,
And in whose spirit there is (C)no deceit!
3 When (D)I kept silent about my sin, (E)my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c](F)groaning all day long.
4 For day and night (G)Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d](H)vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. Selah
5 I (I)acknowledged my sin to You,
And I (J)did not hide my guilt;
I said, “(K)I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord”;
And You (L)forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [e](M)in a time when You may be found;
Certainly (N)in a flood of great waters, they will not reach him.
7 You are (O)my hiding place; You (P)keep me from trouble;
You surround me with [f](Q)songs of deliverance. Selah
21 “(A)Be reconciled with Him, and be at peace;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 Please receive [a](B)instruction from His mouth,
And put His words in your heart.
23 If you (C)return to [b]the Almighty, you will be [c]restored;
If you (D)remove injustice far from your tent,
24 And (E)put your [d]gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25 Then [e]the Almighty will be your [f]gold
And abundant silver to you.
26 For then you will (F)take pleasure in [g]the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
27 You will (G)pray to Him, and (H)He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
28 You will also decide something, and it will be established for you;
And (I)light will shine on your ways.
29 When [h]they have brought you low, you will speak with [i]confidence,
And He will save the [j](J)humble person.
30 He will rescue one who is not innocent,
And he will be (K)rescued due to the cleanness of your hands.”
Job Says He Longs for God
23 Then Job responded,
2 “Even today my (L)complaint is rebellion;
[k]His hand is (M)heavy despite my groaning.
3 Oh that I knew how to find Him,
That I might come to His home!
4 I would (N)present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would learn the words which He would [l]answer,
And perceive what He would tell me.
6 Would He contend with me by (O)the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.
7 There the upright would (P)argue with Him;
And I [m]would be (Q)free of my Judge forever.
8 “Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I (R)cannot perceive Him;
9 When He acts on the left, I cannot see Him;
He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him.
10 But He knows the [n]way I take;
When He has (S)put me to the test, I will come out as gold.
11 My foot has (T)held on to His path;
I have kept His way and not turned aside.
12 I have not [o]failed the command of His lips;
I have treasured the (U)words of His mouth [p]more than my [q]necessary food.
13 But He is unique, and who can [r]make Him turn?
Whatever His soul desires, He does it.
14 For He carries out what is destined for me,
And many such destinies are with Him.
15 Therefore, I would be terrified at His presence;
When I consider this, I am frightened of Him.
16 It is God who has made my (V)heart faint,
And the Almighty who has terrified me,
17 But I (W)am not destroyed by darkness,
Nor by (X)deep gloom which covers me.
Growth in Christian Virtue
1 [a]Simon Peter, a (A)bond-servant and (B)apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received (C)a faith of the same [b]kind as ours, [c]by (D)the righteousness of (E)our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 (F)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in (G)the knowledge of God and of Jesus [d]our Lord, 3 for His (H)divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true (I)knowledge of Him who (J)called us [e]by His own glory and [f]excellence. 4 Through [g]these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent (K)promises, so that by them you may become (L)partakers of the divine nature, having (M)escaped the (N)corruption that is in (O)the world on account of lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith (P)supply (Q)moral [h]excellence, and in your moral excellence, (R)knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, (S)self-control, and in your self-control, (T)perseverance, and in your perseverance, (U)godliness, 7 and in your godliness, (V)brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor (W)unproductive in the true (X)knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For the one who lacks these qualities is (Y)blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his (Z)purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His (AA)calling and (AB)choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never (AC)stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into (AD)the eternal kingdom of our (AE)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be (AF)abundantly (AG)supplied to you.
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