Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
7
“Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
8
“I do not reprove you for your sacrifices;
Your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9
“I will accept no young bull from your house
Nor male goat from your folds.
10
“For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
11
“I know every bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [a]Mine.
12
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
For the world and all it contains are Mine.(A)
13
“Shall I eat the flesh of bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14
“Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High;
15
Call on Me in the day of trouble;
I will rescue you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”
40
Let us test and examine our ways,
And let us return to the Lord.
41
Let us lift up our hearts and our hands [in prayer]
Toward God in heaven;
42
We have transgressed and rebelled,
You have not pardoned.
43
You have covered Yourself with anger
And pursued us;
You have slain [without pity] and have not spared.
44
You have covered Yourself with a cloud
So that no prayer can pass through.
45
You have made us scum and refuse
Among the peoples (Gentile nations).
46
All our enemies have gaped at us.
47
Panic and pitfall (traps, danger) have come on us,
Devastation and destruction.
48
My eyes overflow with streams of tears
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people (Jerusalem).
49
My eyes overflow unceasingly,
Without stopping,
50
Until the Lord looks down
And sees from heaven.
51
My eyes [see things that] bring pain to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52
Without cause my enemies
Hunted me down like a bird;
53
They silenced me in the pit
And placed a stone over me.(A)
54
The waters ran down on my head;
I said, “I am cut off (destroyed)!”
55
I called on Your name, O Lord,
Out of the lowest pit.(B)
56
You have heard my voice,
“Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief,
From my cry for help.”
57
You drew near on the day I called to You;
You said, “Do not fear.”(C)
58
O Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause [You have guided my way and protected me];
You have rescued and redeemed my life.
Safe at Malta
28 After we were safe [on land], we found out that the island was called [a]Malta. 2 And the [b]natives showed us extraordinary kindness and hospitality; for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, since it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a [c]viper crawled out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, Justice [the avenging goddess] has not permitted him to live.” 5 Then Paul [simply] shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 But they stood watching and expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began saying that he was a god.
7 In the vicinity of that place there were estates belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was sick [in bed] with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to him, and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. 9 After this occurred, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being healed. 10 They also gave us many honors [gifts and courtesies expressing respect]; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all the things we needed.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.