Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
To the director: A song of David.
64 God, listen to my complaint.
Save me from the terrible threats of my enemies!
2 Protect me from the secret plans of the wicked.
Hide me from that gang of evil people.
3 They sharpen their tongues to use like swords.
They aim their poisonous words like arrows.
4 Suddenly, from their hiding places, they let their arrows fly.
They shoot to kill innocent people.
5 They encourage each other to do wrong.
They talk about setting traps and say, “No one will see them here!
6 No one will discover our crime.
We have the perfect plan!”
Yes, people can be very tricky and hard to understand.
7 But suddenly, God will shoot his arrows,
and those wicked people will be hit.
8 He will use their own words against them,
and they will be destroyed.
Then everyone who sees them
will shake their heads in amazement.
9 People will see what God has done.
They will tell other people about him.
Then everyone will learn more about God.
They will learn to fear and respect him.
10 Good people are happy to serve the Lord.
They depend on him to protect them.
All those who want to do right will praise him!
Bildad Answers Job
18 Then Bildad from Shuah answered:
2 “When will you stop talking?
Be sensible; let us say something.
3 Why do you think we are stupid,
like dumb cows?
4 Your anger is hurting no one but you.
Do you think this world was made for you alone?
Do you think God should move mountains just to satisfy you?
5 “Yes, the light of those who are evil will go out.
Their fire will stop burning.
6 The light in their houses will become dark.
The lamps next to them will go out.
7 Their steps, once strong and fast, become weak.
Their own evil plans make them fall.
8 Their own feet lead them into a net.
They fall into its hidden pit and are caught.
9 A trap catches them by the heel,
and it holds them tight.
10 A rope is hidden on the ground to trip them.
A trap is waiting in their path.
11 On every side terrors frighten them.
Fears follow every step they take.
12 Disaster is hungry for them.
Ruin stands close by, waiting for them to fall.
13 Diseases will eat away their skin.
Death itself[a] will eat their arms and legs.
14 They will be taken away from the safety of their tents
and be led away to meet death, the king of terrors.
15 Nothing will be left in their tents,
which will be sprinkled with burning sulfur.
16 Their roots below will dry up,
and their branches above will die.
17 People on earth will not remember them.
Their names will be forgotten.
18 They will be forced from light into darkness.
They will be chased out of this world.
19 They will leave behind no children, no descendants.
None of their people will be left alive.
20 People in the west will be shocked at what happened to them.
People in the east will be numb with fear.
21 This is what will happen to the homes of those who are evil.
This is the place of those who don’t know God!”
God’s Power and Wisdom in Christ Jesus
18 The teaching about the cross seems foolish to those who are lost. But to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.
I will confuse the understanding of the intelligent.” (A)
20 So what does this say about the philosopher, the law expert, or anyone in this world who is skilled in making clever arguments? God has made the wisdom of the world look foolish. 21 This is what God in his wisdom decided: Since the world did not find him through its own wisdom, he used the message that sounds foolish to save those who believe it.
22 The Jews ask for miraculous signs, and the Greeks want wisdom. 23 But this is the message we tell everyone: Christ was killed on a cross. This message is a problem for Jews, and to other people it is nonsense. 24 But Christ is God’s power and wisdom to the people God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks. 25 Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom. Even the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
26 Brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his. Think about that! Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence, and not many of you came from important families. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 And God chose what the world thinks is not important—what the world hates and thinks is nothing. He chose these to destroy what the world thinks is important. 29 God did this so that no one can stand before him and boast about anything. 30 It is God who has made you part of Christ Jesus. And Christ has become for us wisdom from God. He is the reason we are right with God and pure enough to be in his presence. Christ is the one who set us free from sin. 31 So, as the Scriptures say, “Whoever boasts should boast only about the Lord.”[a]
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International