Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
11 For the sake of your reputation,[a] O Lord,
forgive my sin, because it is great.[b]
12 The Lord shows his faithful followers
the way they should live.[c]
13 They experience his favor;[d]
their descendants[e] inherit the land.[f]
14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance,[g]
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them.[h]
15 I continually look to the Lord for help,[i]
for he will free my feet from the enemy’s net.[j]
16 Turn toward me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone[k] and oppressed.
17 Deliver me from my distress;[l]
rescue me from my suffering.[m]
18 See my pain and suffering.
Forgive all my sins.[n]
19 Watch my enemies, for they outnumber me;
they hate me and want to harm me.[o]
20 Protect me[p] and deliver me!
Please do not let me be humiliated,
for I have taken shelter in you.
Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel
13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth,[a]
and it is a great burden[b] to me:
14 There was once[c] a small city with a few men in it,
and a mighty king attacked it, besieging[d] it and building strong[e] siege works against it.
15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city,[f]
and he could have delivered[g] the city by his wisdom,
but no one listened to[h] that poor man.
16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might,[i]
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens[j] to his advice.[k]
Wisdom versus Fools, Sin, and Folly
17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard[l] among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.
The Judgment
31 “When[a] the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All[b] the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He[c] will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him,[d] ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When[e] did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 39 When[f] did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the king will answer them,[g] ‘I tell you the truth,[h] just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters[i] of mine, you did it for me.’
41 “Then he will say[j] to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they too will answer,[k] ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ 45 Then he will answer them,[l] ‘I tell you the truth,[m] just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ 46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”[n]
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