Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
11 For the sake of your name, O Lord,
remove my guilt, because it is great.
12 Who, then, is this person that fears the Lord?
He is the one whom the Lord will teach which path to choose.
13 He will enjoy good things in life,
and his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord advises those who fear him.
He reveals to them the intent of his promise.
15 My eyes are always on the Lord.
He removes my feet from traps.
16 Turn to me, and have pity on me.
I am lonely and oppressed.
17 Relieve my troubled heart,
and bring me out of my distress.
18 Look at my misery and suffering,
and forgive all my sins.
19 See how my enemies have increased in number,
how they have hated me with vicious hatred!
20 Protect my life, and rescue me!
Do not let me be put to shame.
I have taken refuge in you.
19 Better to be a poor person who lives innocently
than to be one who talks dishonestly and is a fool.
2 A person without knowledge is no good.
A person in a hurry makes mistakes.
3 The stupidity of a person turns his life upside down,
and his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth adds many friends,
but a poor person is separated from his friend.
5 A lying witness will not go unpunished.
One who tells lies will not escape.
6 Many try to win the kindness of a generous person,
and everyone is a friend to a person who gives gifts.
7 The entire family of a poor person hates him.
How much more do his friends keep their distance from him!
When he chases them with words, they are gone.
8 A person who gains sense loves himself.
One who guards understanding finds something good.
9 A lying witness will not go unpunished.
One who tells lies will die.
10 Luxury does not fit a fool,
much less a slave ruling princes.
11 A person with good sense is patient,
and it is to his credit that he overlooks an offense.
12 The rage of a king is like the roar of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
A Foolish Son Brings Ruin to Others
13 A foolish son ruins his father,
and a quarreling woman is like constantly dripping water.
14 Home and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a sensible wife comes from the Lord.
15 Laziness throws one into a deep sleep,
and an idle person will go hungry.
16 Whoever obeys the law preserves his life,
⌞but⌟ whoever despises the Lord’s ways will be put to death.
17 Whoever has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his good deed.
Love One Another
11 The message that you have heard from the beginning is to love each other. 12 Don’t be like Cain. He was a child of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain murder his brother? Because the things Cain did were evil and the things his brother did had God’s approval. 13 Brothers and sisters, don’t be surprised if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love other believers. The person who doesn’t grow in love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates another believer is a murderer, and you know that a murderer doesn’t have eternal life.
16 We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. 17 Now, suppose a person has enough to live on and notices another believer in need. How can God’s love be in that person if he doesn’t bother to help the other believer?
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