Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Praise for Jerusalem’s Restoration and Prosperity.
147 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
For (A)it is good to sing praises to our God;
For [c]it is pleasant and praise is [d](B)beautiful.
2 The Lord (C)builds up Jerusalem;
He (D)gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the (E)brokenhearted
And (F)binds up their [e]wounds.
4 He (G)counts the number of the stars;
He [f](H)gives names to all of them.
5 (I)Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His (J)understanding is [g]infinite.
6 The Lord [h](K)supports the afflicted;
He brings the wicked down to the ground.
7 (L)Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre;
8 It is He who (M)covers the heavens with clouds,
Who (N)provides rain for the earth,
Who (O)makes grass sprout on the mountains.
9 It is He who (P)gives an animal its food,
And feeds (Q)young ravens that cry.
10 He does not delight in [i]the strength of the (R)horse;
He (S)does not take pleasure in the [j]legs of a man.
11 The Lord (T)favors those who fear Him,
(U)Those who wait for His [k]faithfulness.
10 A (A)righteous person has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
11 One (B)who works his land will have plenty of bread,
But one who pursues worthless things lacks [a]sense.
12 The (C)wicked person desires the [b]plunder of evil people,
But the root of the righteous (D)yields fruit.
13 [c]An evil person is ensnared by the offense of his lips,
But the (E)righteous will escape from trouble.
14 A person will be (F)satisfied with good by the fruit of his [d]words,
And the (G)deeds of a person’s hands will return to him.
15 The (H)way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But a person who listens to advice is wise.
16 A (I)fool’s anger is known at once,
But a prudent person conceals dishonor.
17 One who declares truth tells what is right,
But a false witness, deceit.
18 There is one who (J)speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the (K)tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips will endure forever,
But a (L)lying tongue is only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
21 (M)No harm happens to the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.
2 Look! I, (A)Paul, tell you that if you have yourselves (B)circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I (C)testify again to every man who has himself (D)circumcised, that he is obligated to (E)keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who [a]are seeking to be justified by the [b]Law; you have (F)fallen from grace. 5 For we, [c]through the Spirit, [d]by faith, are (G)waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in (H)Christ Jesus (I)neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but (J)faith working through love.
7 You were (K)running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from (L)Him who calls you. 9 (M)A little [e]leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. 10 (N)I have confidence [f]in you in the Lord, that you (O)will adopt no other view; but the one who is (P)disturbing you will bear the punishment, whoever he is. 11 But as for me, brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still (Q)persecuted? Then (R)the stumbling block of the cross has been eliminated. 12 I wish that (S)those who are troubling you would even [g](T)emasculate themselves.
13 For you were called to (U)freedom, brothers and sisters; (V)only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but (W)serve one another through love. 14 For (X)the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “(Y)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you (Z)bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
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