Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

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!

¹¹ A rich person is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor one who has discernment sees through him.

¹² When the righteous triumph,
there is great rejoicing,^[a]
but when the wicked come to power,
people hide.^(A)

¹³ The one who conceals his sins
will not prosper,^(B)
but whoever confesses and renounces them
will find mercy.^(C)

¹⁴ Happy is the one who is always reverent,^(D)
but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.^(E)

¹⁵ A wicked ruler over a helpless people^(F)
is like a roaring lion or a charging bear.^(G)

¹⁶ A leader who lacks understanding
is very oppressive,
but one who hates dishonest profit
prolongs his life.^(H)

¹⁷ Someone burdened by bloodguilt^[b]
will be a fugitive until death.^(I)
Let no one help him.^(J)

¹⁸ The one who lives with integrity will be helped,
but one who distorts right and wrong^[c]
will suddenly fall.^(K)

¹⁹ The one who works his land
will have plenty of food,^(L)
but whoever chases fantasies
will have his fill of poverty.^(M)

²⁰ A faithful person will have many blessings,^(N)
but one in a hurry to get rich^(O)
will not go unpunished.

²¹ It is not good to show partiality^(P)—
yet even a courageous person may sin for a piece of bread.^(Q)

²² A greedy one^[d] is in a hurry for wealth;
he doesn’t know that poverty will come to him.^(R)

²³ One who rebukes a person will later find more favor^(S)
than one who flatters with his tongue.^(T)

²⁴ The one who robs his father or mother^(U)
and says, “That’s no sin,”^(V)
is a companion to a person who destroys.^(W)

²⁵ A greedy person stirs up conflict,^(X)
but whoever trusts in the Lord will prosper.^(Y)

²⁶ The one who trusts in himself^[e] is a fool,
but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.^(Z)

²⁷ The one who gives to the poor
will not be in need,
but one who turns his eyes away^[f]
will receive many curses.^(AA)

²⁸ When the wicked come to power,
people hide,
but when they are destroyed,
the righteous flourish.^(AB)