Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 64
Hide Me From the Conspiracy
Heading
For the choir director. A psalm by David.
Opening Plea
1 Hear my voice, O God, when I complain.
Protect my life from the terror caused by the enemy.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from the noisy mob of evildoers.
The Enemies’ Wickedness
3 They sharpen their tongues like a sword.
They shoot poison words like arrows.
4 They shoot at the innocent from hiding places.
Suddenly they shoot at him. They have no fear.
5 They strengthen each other in an evil plot.
They discuss where to hide snares.
They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They plot evil deeds and they say,
“We have come up with a perfect plot!”
The mind and heart of man are devious!
God’s Judgment
7 But God will shoot them.
Suddenly they are wounded with an arrow.
8 Their own tongues cause their downfall.[a]
Everyone who sees them will shake his head.
The Joy of the Godly
9 Then all people will be afraid.
They will proclaim the work of God.
They will consider what he has done.
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him.
Let all the upright in heart be confident!
Round Two: Job’s Second Speech
19 Then Job responded:
2 How long will you torment my soul?
How long will you crush me with words?
3 Ten times now you have insulted me,
but you are not ashamed that you are treating me so badly.
4 But even if I actually were in the wrong,
my error would remain my own concern.
5 To be sure, when you lord it over me,
and you hurl my disgrace against me,
6 you should know that God has denied me justice,
and he has trapped me in his net.
7 Listen to me!
I cry out, “Injustice,” but I get no answer.
I call for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has blocked my way, so I cannot get by.
He has brought darkness on my paths.
9 He has stripped me of my honor,
and he has taken the crown off my head.
10 He tears me down on every side, until I am gone.
He uproots my hope like a tree.
11 His anger burns against me,
and he regards me as his enemy.
12 Together his troops advance against me.
They build a siege ramp against me.
They camp all around my tent.
13 He has distanced my brothers far from me,
and those who know me treat me like a stranger.
14 My relatives stay away.
Even my close friends have forgotten me.
15 Even my houseguests and my female servants treat me like a stranger.
They look upon me as a foreigner.
16 I summon my servant, but he does not answer,
even though I beg him to be gracious to me.
17 My breath keeps my wife away from me,
and I am repulsive to my mother’s children.
18 Even young boys reject me.
When I get up, they speak against me.
19 My closest confidants shun me,
and those I love have turned against me.
20 I am nothing but skin and bones.
I have escaped with the skin of my teeth.
21 Have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me, you friends of mine,
because the hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you pursue me the way God does?
Will you never get enough of my flesh?
United in Christ
11 Therefore, remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the flesh—the ones who are called “uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised” (which is performed physically by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise. You were without hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace. He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them 15 when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh. He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace. 16 And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it.[a] 17 He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.[b]
19 So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. 20 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.