Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
11 For the sake of your name, O Lord,
you forgive my guilt, although it is great.
A Prayer for a Godly Life
12 Who, then, is the man who fears the Lord?
The Lord will instruct him in the way he chooses.
13 That man will enjoy a good life,
and his descendants will possess the land.
14 The guidance[a] of the Lord is with those who fear him.
His covenant will give them knowledge.
A Second Prayer for Protection
15 My eyes are always on the Lord,
because he frees my feet from the net.
16 Turn toward me and be gracious to me,
because I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The distress of my heart increases.[b]
Bring me out of my anguish.
18 See my affliction and my trouble,
and take away all my sins.
19 See my enemies—
how they have increased,
and how violently they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me.
Do not let me be put to shame,
for I have taken refuge in you.
24 Why are appointments never scheduled by the Almighty?
Why do those who know him never see such days?
2 People move boundary stones.
They steal a flock and take it to pasture.
3 They drive away donkeys that belong to the fatherless.
They seize the widow’s ox as collateral.
4 They shove the poor out of the way.
The oppressed people of the land hide together.
5 They go out to their labor, like wild donkeys in the wilderness,
looking for food.
The wasteland is their only source of food for themselves
and their children.
6 They gather their straw in the open countryside.
They glean leftovers in the vineyard of the wicked.
7 They spend the night naked, without clothing.
They have no covering from the cold.
8 They are soaked by heavy rain from the mountains.
They cling to a cliff for shelter.
Warning Against Partiality
2 My brothers, have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ without showing favoritism. 2 For example, suppose a man enters your worship assembly[a] wearing gold rings and fine clothing, and a poor man also enters wearing filthy clothing. 3 If you look with favor on the man wearing fine clothing and say, “Sit here in this good place,” but you tell the poor man, “Stand over there” or “Sit down here[b] at my feet,” 4 have you not made a distinction among yourselves and become judges with evil opinions? 5 Listen, my dear brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and don’t they drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you?
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.