Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 32
A Psalm of David. A Contemplative Maskil.
1 Blessed is he
whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man
against whom the Lord does not count iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
Your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was changed
into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
and my iniquity I did not conceal.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord,”
and You forgave
the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 For this cause everyone who is godly will pray to You
in a time when You may be found;
surely in the floods of great waters
they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place;
You will preserve me from trouble;
You will surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
21 “Now acquaint yourself with Him and be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
22 Receive, I pray, the teaching from His mouth,
and lay up His words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;
you will put away iniquity far from your tents.
24 Then you will lay up gold as dust,
and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 Yes, the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver;
26 for then you will delight yourself in the Almighty,
and will lift up your face unto God.
27 You will make your prayer to Him, and He will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
28 You will also declare a matter, and it will be established unto you;
and the light will shine upon your ways.
29 When men are cast down, and you say, ‘There is a time of exaltation!’
then He will save the humble person.
30 He will even deliver one who is not innocent;
he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.”
Job Replies: My Complaint Is Grievous
23 Then Job answered:
2 “Today also my complaint is bitter;
my hand is heavy because of my groaning.
3 Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,
that I might come even to His seat!
4 I would present my case before Him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know the words that He would answer me
and understand what He would say to me.
6 Will He plead against me with His great power?
No! But He would take note of me.
7 There the righteous might dispute with Him;
so would I be delivered forever from my Judge.
8 “Look, I go forward, but He is not there,
and backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
9 when He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
10 But He knows the way that I take;
when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11 My foot has held fast to His steps;
I have kept His way and have not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
13 “But He is resolute, and who can turn Him?
And whatever His soul desires, that He does.
14 For He performs what is appointed for me,
and many such things are with Him.
15 Therefore I am troubled at His presence;
when I consider, I am afraid of Him.
16 For God makes my heart soft,
and the Almighty troubles me;
17 because I was not cut off from the presence of darkness,
nor has He covered the darkness from my face.
Salutation
1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
The Christian’s Call and Election
3 His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence, 4 by which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these things you might become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 For this reason make every effort to add virtue to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge; 6 and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness; 7 and to your godliness, brotherly kindness; and to your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these things reside in you and abound, they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But the one who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted because he has forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brothers, diligently make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. 11 For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided for you.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.