Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 146
The God of Compassion
1 Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.(A)
2 I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.(B)
3 Do not trust in nobles,
in a son of man,[a] who cannot save.(C)
4 When his breath[b] leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.(D)
5 Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,(E)
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.(F)
He remains faithful forever,(G)
7 executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.(H)
The Lord frees prisoners.(I)
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.(J)
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.[c](K)
The Lord loves the righteous.(L)
9 The Lord protects resident aliens
and helps the fatherless and the widow,(M)
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.(N)
10 The Lord reigns forever;
Zion, your God reigns for all generations.(O)
Hallelujah!
3 A sensible person sees danger and takes cover,
but the inexperienced keep going and are punished.(B)
4 Humility, the fear of the Lord,
results in wealth, honor, and life.(C)
5 There are thorns and snares on the way of the crooked;(D)
the one who guards himself stays far from them.
6 Start a youth out on his way;(E)
even when he grows old he will not depart from it.
8 The one who sows injustice will reap disaster,(H)
and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
11 The one who loves a pure heart
and gracious lips—the king is his friend.(M)
12 The Lord’s eyes keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the treacherous.
13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the public square!” (N)
14 The mouth of the forbidden woman is a deep pit;
a man cursed by the Lord will fall into it.(O)
15 Foolishness is bound to the heart of a youth;
a rod of discipline will separate it from him.(P)
16 Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself,
and giving to the rich—both lead only to poverty.(Q)
8 I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich,(A) for your sake he became poor,(B) so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving advice because it is profitable for you, who began last year not only to do something but also to want to do it.(C) 11 Now also finish the task, so that just as there was an eager desire, there may also be a completion, according to what you have. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.(D) 13 It is not that there should be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality.[a] 14 At the present time your surplus is available for their need, so that their abundance may in turn meet your need, in order that there may be equality. 15 As it is written: The person who had much did not have too much, and the person who had little did not have too little.[b](E)
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