Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.
32 (A)How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord (B)does not take into account,
And in whose spirit there is (C)no deceit!
3 When (D)I kept silent about my sin, (E)my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c](F)groaning all day long.
4 For day and night (G)Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d](H)vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. Selah
5 I (I)acknowledged my sin to You,
And I (J)did not hide my guilt;
I said, “(K)I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord”;
And You (L)forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [e](M)in a time when You may be found;
Certainly (N)in a flood of great waters, they will not reach him.
7 You are (O)my hiding place; You (P)keep me from trouble;
You surround me with [f](Q)songs of deliverance. Selah
8 The (A)sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But (B)the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves the one who (C)pursues righteousness.
10 There is severe punishment for one who abandons the way;
One who hates a rebuke will die.
11 [a](D)Sheol and [b]Abaddon lie open before the Lord,
How much more the (E)hearts of [c]mankind!
24 The (A)path of life leads upward for the wise,
So that he may keep away from [a]Sheol below.
25 The Lord will (B)tear down the house of the proud,
But He will (C)set the boundary of the (D)widow.
26 Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord,
But pleasant words are pure.
27 He who (E)profits illicitly troubles his own house,
But he who (F)hates bribes will live.
28 The heart of the righteous (G)ponders how to answer,
But the (H)mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
29 The Lord is (I)far from the wicked,
But He (J)hears the prayer of the righteous.
30 [b]Bright eyes gladden the heart;
Good news [c]refreshes the bones.
31 One whose ear listens to a life-giving rebuke
Will stay among the wise.
32 One who (K)neglects discipline (L)rejects himself,
But one who (M)listens to a rebuke acquires [d]understanding.
33 [e]The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom,
And before honor comes humility.
Introduction
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of (B)Christ Jesus (C)by the will of God, and our brother (D)Timothy,
To (E)the church of God which is at (F)Corinth with all the [a]saints who are throughout (G)Achaia:
2 (H)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 (I)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and (J)God of all comfort, 4 who (K)comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in [b]any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just (L)as the sufferings of Christ are [c]ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is (M)for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that (N)as you are partners in our sufferings, so also you are in our comfort.
8 For (O)we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our (P)affliction which occurred in [d](Q)Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 [e]Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, 10 who (R)rescued us from so great a danger of death, and will rescue us, He [f](S)on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 11 if you also join in (T)helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by (U)many persons in our behalf for the favor granted to us through the prayers of many.
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