Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises unto my God while I have my life.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath leaves him, and he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven, and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faithfulness forever,
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord releases the prisoners.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
the Lord raises those who are brought down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord preserves the sojourners;
He lifts up the fatherless and widow,
but on the way of the wicked He brings disaster.
10 The Lord shall reign forever,
your God, O Zion, unto all generations.
Praise you the Lord!
The Confession of Sin
9 Therefore, justice is far from us,
nor does righteousness overtake us;
we wait for light, but there is darkness,
for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
10 We grope along the wall like the blind,
and we grope as if we had no eyes;
we stumble at noonday as in the night;
among those who are vigorous, we are as dead men.
11 We all roar like bears
and mourn sadly like doves;
we look for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You,
and our sins testify against us;
for our transgressions are with us.
And as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 transgressing, and lying against the Lord,
and departing away from our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
14 Justice is turned backward,
and righteousness stands far off;
for truth is fallen in the street,
and equity cannot enter.
15 Truth is lacking,
and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.
The Redeemer of Zion
Then the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man
and was astonished that there was no intercessor;
therefore, His own arm brought salvation to Him,
and His righteousness sustained Him.
17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate
and a helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing
and was clad with zeal as a cloak.
18 According to their deeds,
accordingly He will repay:
fury to His adversaries,
recompense to His enemies;
to the islands He will make recompense.
19 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west
and His glory from the rising of the sun;
when the enemy shall come in like a flood,
the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
The Conversion of Saul(A)
9 Saul, still breathing out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any there of the Way, either men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he went he drew near Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
5 He said, “Who are You, Lord?”
The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 Trembling and astonished, he said, “Lord, what will You have me do?” The Lord said to him, “Rise up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose up from the ground. And when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 A disciple named Ananias was in Damascus. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”
He said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Rise and go to Straight Street, and inquire at Judas’ house for someone named Saul of Tarsus, for he is praying, 12 and has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he may see again.”
13 Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how many evil things he has done to Your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go your way. For this man is a chosen vessel of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the sons of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 Then Ananias went his way and entered the house. Putting his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the way as you came, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. And he rose up and was baptized. 19 When he had eaten, he was strengthened.
Saul Preaches in Damascus
For several days Saul was with the disciples in Damascus. 20 Immediately he preached in the synagogues that the Christ is the Son of God.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.