Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Book 3 (Psalms 73-89)
Psalm 73[a]
A psalm by Asaph.
73 Certainly God is good to Israel,[b]
and to those whose motives are pure.[c]
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my feet almost slid out from under me.[d]
3 For I envied those who are proud,
as I observed[e] the prosperity[f] of the wicked.
4 For they suffer no pain;[g]
their bodies[h] are strong and well fed.[i]
5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;
they do not suffer as other men do.[j]
6 Arrogance is their necklace,[k]
and violence covers them like clothing.[l]
7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong;[m]
their thoughts are sinful.[n]
8 They mock[o] and say evil things;[p]
they proudly threaten violence.[q]
9 They speak as if they rule in heaven,
and lay claim to the earth.[r]
10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,
and even suck up the water of the sea.[s]
11 They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the Most High aware of what goes on?”[t]
12 Take a good look. This is what the wicked are like,[u]
those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer.[v]
13 I concluded,[w] “Surely in vain I have kept my motives[x] pure
and maintained a pure lifestyle.[y]
14 I suffer all day long,
and am punished every morning.”
15 If I had publicized these thoughts,[z]
I would have betrayed your people.[aa]
16 When I tried to make sense of this,
it was troubling to me.[ab]
17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple,[ac]
and understood the destiny of the wicked.[ad]
18 Surely[ae] you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down[af] to ruin.
19 How desolate they become in a mere moment.
Terrifying judgments make their demise complete.[ag]
20 They are like a dream after one wakes up.[ah]
O Lord, when you awake[ai] you will despise them.[aj]
21 Yes,[ak] my spirit was bitter,[al]
and my insides felt sharp pain.[am]
22 I was ignorant[an] and lacked insight;[ao]
I was as senseless as an animal before you.[ap]
23 But I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide[aq] me by your wise advice,
and then you will lead me to a position of honor.[ar]
25 Whom do I have in heaven but you?
On earth there is no one I desire but you.[as]
26 My flesh and my heart may grow weak,[at]
but God always[au] protects my heart and gives me stability.[av]
27 Yes,[aw] look! Those far from you[ax] die;
you destroy everyone who is unfaithful to you.[ay]
28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need.[az]
I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter,
as[ba] I declare all the things you have done.
The People of Nineveh Respond to Jonah’s Warning
3 The Lord’s message came to Jonah a second time, 2 “Go immediately[a] to Nineveh, that large city,[b] and proclaim to[c] it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah went immediately to Nineveh, in keeping with the Lord’s message. Now Nineveh was an enormous city[d]—it required three days to walk through it![e] 4 Jonah began to enter the city by going one day’s walk, announcing, “At the end of forty days,[f] Nineveh will be overthrown!”[g]
5 The people[h] of Nineveh believed in God,[i] and they declared a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.[j] 6 When the news[k] reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes. 7 He issued a proclamation and said,[l] “In Nineveh, by the decree of the king and his nobles: No human or animal, cattle or sheep, is to taste anything; they must not eat and they must not drink water. 8 Every person and animal must put on sackcloth and must cry earnestly[m] to God, and everyone[n] must turn from their[o] evil way of living[p] and from the violence that they do.[q] 9 Who knows?[r] Perhaps God might be willing to change his mind and relent[s] and turn from his fierce anger[t] so that we might not die.”[u] 10 When God saw their actions—that they turned from their evil way of living.[v]—God relented concerning the judgment[w] he had threatened them with[x] and did not destroy them.[y]
8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice,[a] that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise,[b] as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he does not wish[c] for any[d] to perish but for all to come to repentance.[e] 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes,[f] the heavens will disappear[g] with a horrific noise,[h] and the celestial bodies[i] will melt away[j] in a blaze,[k] and the earth and every deed done on it[l] will be laid bare.[m] 11 Since all these things are to melt away[n] in this manner,[o] what sort of people must you[p] be, conducting your lives in holiness and godliness,[q] 12 while waiting for and hastening[r] the coming of the day of God?[s] Because of this day,[t] the heavens will be burned up and[u] dissolve, and the celestial bodies[v] will melt away in a blaze![w] 13 But, according to his promise, we are waiting for[x] new heavens and a new earth, in which[y] righteousness truly resides.[z]
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