Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Oppressed by the Wicked but Rejoicing in the Lord
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
64 Hear my voice, O God, in my [a]meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
(A)And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
(B)They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.
7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
8 So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
(C)All who see them shall flee away.
9 All men shall fear,
And shall (D)declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.
10 (E)The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.
Bildad: The Wicked Are Punished
18 Then (A)Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “How long till you put an end to words?
Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak.
3 Why are we counted (B)as beasts,
And regarded as stupid in your sight?
4 (C)You[a] who tear yourself in anger,
Shall the earth be forsaken for you?
Or shall the rock be removed from its place?
5 “The(D) light of the wicked indeed goes out,
And the flame of his fire does not shine.
6 The light is dark in his tent,
(E)And his lamp beside him is put out.
7 The steps of his strength are shortened,
And (F)his own counsel casts him down.
8 For (G)he is cast into a net by his own feet,
And he walks into a snare.
9 The net takes him by the heel,
And (H)a snare lays hold of him.
10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground,
And a trap for him in the road.
11 (I)Terrors frighten him on every side,
And drive him to his feet.
12 His strength is starved,
And (J)destruction is ready at his side.
13 It devours patches of his skin;
The firstborn of death devours his [b]limbs.
14 He is uprooted from (K)the shelter of his tent,
And they parade him before the king of terrors.
15 They dwell in his tent who are none of his;
Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
16 (L)His roots are dried out below,
And his branch withers above.
17 (M)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name [c]among the renowned.
18 [d]He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased out of the world.
19 (N)He has neither son nor posterity among his people,
Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
20 Those [e]in the west are astonished (O)at his day,
As those [f]in the east are frightened.
21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who (P)does not know God.”
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God(A)
18 For the [a]message of the cross is (B)foolishness to (C)those who are perishing, but to us (D)who are being saved it is the (E)power of God. 19 For it is written:
(F)“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
20 (G)Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the [b]disputer of this age? (H)Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the (I)wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For (J)Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, (K)to the Jews a [c]stumbling block and to the [d]Greeks (L)foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (M)the power of God and (N)the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Glory Only in the Lord
26 For [e]you see your calling, brethren, (O)that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many [f]noble, are called. 27 But (P)God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the [g]base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and (Q)righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, (R)“He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.