Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
19 But, Lord, don’t be far away.
You are my strength; hurry to help me.
20 Save me from the sword;
save my life from the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the lion’s mouth;
save me from the horns of the bulls.
22 Then I will tell my brothers and sisters about you;
I will praise you in the public meeting.
23 Praise the Lord, all you who respect him.
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him;
fear him, all you Israelites.
24 He does not ignore those in trouble.
He doesn’t hide from them
but listens when they call out to him.
25 Lord, I praise you in the great meeting of your people;
these worshipers will see me do what I promised.
26 Poor people will eat until they are full;
those who look to the Lord will praise him.
May your hearts live forever!
27 People everywhere will remember
and will turn to the Lord.
All the families of the nations
will worship him
28 because the Lord is King,
and he rules the nations.
Israel Does Not Follow God
57 Those who are right with God may die,
but no one pays attention.
Good people are taken away,
but no one understands.
Those who do right are being taken away from evil
2 and are given peace.
Those who live as God wants
find rest in death.
3 “Come here, you magicians!
Come here, you children of prostitutes and those who take part in adultery!
4 Of whom are you making fun?
Whom are you insulting?
At whom do you stick out your tongue?
You turn against God,
and you are liars.
5 You have sexual relations under every green tree
to worship your gods.
You kill children in the ravines
and sacrifice them in the rocky places.
6 You take the smooth rocks from the ravines
as your portion.
You pour drink offerings on them to worship them,
and you give grain offerings to them.
Do you think this makes me want to show you mercy?
7 You make your bed on every hill and mountain,
and there you offer sacrifices.
8 You have hidden your idols
behind your doors and doorposts.
You have left me, and you have uncovered yourself.
You have pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.
You have made an agreement with those whose beds you love,
and you have looked at their nakedness.
9 You use your oils and perfumes
to look nice for Molech.
You have sent your messengers to faraway lands;
you even tried to send them to the place of the dead.
10 You were tired from doing these things,
but you never gave up.
You found new strength,
so you did not quit.
11 “Whom were you so afraid of
that you lied to me?
You have not remembered me
or even thought about me.
I have been quiet for a long time.
Is that why you are not afraid of me?
12 I will tell about your ‘goodness’ and what you do,
and those things will do you no good.
13 When you cry out for help,
let the gods you have gathered help you.
The wind will blow them all away;
just a puff of wind will take them away.
But the person who depends on me will receive the land
and own my holy mountain.”
The Law and the Promise
15 Brothers and sisters, let us think in human terms: Even an agreement made between two persons is firm. After that agreement is accepted by both people, no one can stop it or add anything to it. 16 God made promises both to Abraham and to his descendant. God did not say, “and to your descendants.” That would mean many people. But God said, “and to your descendant.” That means only one person; that person is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: God had an agreement with Abraham and promised to keep it. The law, which came four hundred thirty years later, cannot change that agreement and so destroy God’s promise to Abraham. 18 If the law could give us Abraham’s blessing, then the promise would not be necessary. But that is not possible, because God freely gave his blessings to Abraham through the promise he had made.
19 So what was the law for? It was given to show that the wrong things people do are against God’s will. And it continued until the special descendant, who had been promised, came. The law was given through angels who used Moses for a mediator[a] to give the law to people. 20 But a mediator is not needed when there is only one side, and God is only one.
The Purpose of the Law of Moses
21 Does this mean that the law is against God’s promises? Never! That would be true only if the law could make us right with God. But God did not give a law that can bring life. 22 Instead, the Scriptures showed that the whole world is bound by sin. This was so the promise would be given through faith to people who believe in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.