Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for Relief from Contempt
A Song of Ascents.
123 Unto You (A)I lift up my eyes,
O You (B)who dwell in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
(C)So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us.
3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!
For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
4 Our soul is exceedingly filled
With the scorn of those who are at ease,
With the contempt of the proud.
Bildad: How Can Man Be Righteous?
25 Then (A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “Dominion and fear belong to Him;
He makes peace in His high places.
3 [a]Is there any number to His armies?
Upon whom does (B)His light not rise?
4 (C)How then can man be righteous before God?
Or how can he be (D)pure who is born of a woman?
5 If even the moon does not shine,
And the stars are not pure in His (E)sight,
6 How much less man, who is (F)a maggot,
And a son of man, who is a worm?”
Job: Man’s Frailty and God’s Majesty
26 But Job answered and said:
2 “How have you helped him who is without power?
How have you saved the arm that has no strength?
3 How have you counseled one who has no wisdom?
And how have you declared sound advice to many?
4 To whom have you uttered words?
And whose spirit came from you?
5 “The dead tremble,
Those under the waters and those inhabiting them.
6 (G)Sheol is naked before Him,
And Destruction has no covering.
7 (H)He stretches out the north over empty space;
He hangs the earth on nothing.
8 (I)He binds up the water in His thick clouds,
Yet the clouds [b]are not broken under it.
9 He covers the face of His throne,
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 (J)He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters,
At the boundary of light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble,
And are [c]astonished at His rebuke.
12 (K)He stirs up the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He breaks up [d]the storm.
13 (L)By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced (M)the fleeing serpent.
14 Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?”
19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, (A)the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For (B)the Father loves the Son, and (C)shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, (D)even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but (E)has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. (F)He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Life and Judgment Are Through the Son
24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, (G)he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, (H)but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when (I)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 For (J)as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have (K)life in Himself, 27 and (L)has given Him authority to execute judgment also, (M)because He is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will (N)hear His voice 29 (O)and come forth—(P)those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.