Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
For the director of music. A psalm of David to the tune of “The Death of the Son.”
9 Lord, I will give thanks to you with all my heart.
I will tell about all the wonderful things you have done.
2 I will be glad and full of joy because of you.
Most High God, I will sing the praises of your name.
3 My enemies turn back.
They fall down and die right in front of you.
4 You have proved that I haven’t done anything wrong.
You have sat on your throne and judged fairly.
5 You have punished the nations. You have destroyed evil people.
You have erased their names from your book for ever and ever.
6 My enemies have been destroyed forever.
You have leveled their cities to the ground.
Even the memory of them is gone.
7 The Lord rules forever.
He has set up his throne so that he can judge people.
8 He rules the world in keeping with what is right.
He judges all its people fairly.
9 The Lord is a place of safety for those who have been treated badly.
He keeps them safe in times of trouble.
10 Lord, those who know you will trust in you.
You have never deserted those who look to you.
11 Sing the praises of the Lord. He rules from his throne in Zion.
Tell among the nations what he has done.
12 The God who pays back murderers remembers.
He doesn’t forget the cries of those who are hurting.
13 Lord, see how badly my enemies treat me!
Help me! Don’t let me go down to the gates of death!
14 Then I can give praise to you
at the gates of the city of Zion.
There I will be full of joy
because you have saved me.
Job’s Reply
16 Job replied,
2 “I’ve heard many of these things before.
All of you are terrible at comforting me!
3 Your speeches go on forever.
Won’t they ever end?
What’s wrong with you?
Why do you keep on arguing?
4 If you and I changed places,
I could say the same things you are saying.
I could make fine speeches against you.
I could shake my head at you.
5 But what I might say would give you hope.
My words of comfort would help you.
6 “If I speak, it doesn’t help me.
And if I keep quiet, my pain doesn’t go away.
7 God has worn me out completely.
He has destroyed my whole family.
8 People can see the condition he has put me in.
My thin body stands as a witness against me.
9 God is angry with me.
He attacks me and tears me up.
He grinds his teeth at me.
He stares at me as if he were my enemy.
10 People make fun of me.
They slap my face and laugh at me.
All of them join together against me.
11 God has turned me over to sinful people.
He has handed me over to them.
12 Everything was going well with me.
But he broke me into pieces like a clay pot.
He grabbed me by the neck and crushed me.
He has taken aim at me.
13 He shoots his arrows at me from all sides.
Without pity, he stabs me in the kidneys.
He spills my insides on the ground.
14 He smashes through me as if I were a wall.
He rushes at me like a fighting man.
15 “I’ve sewed rough clothing over my skin.
All I can do is sit here in the dust.
16 My face is red from crying.
I have dark circles under my eyes.
17 But I haven’t harmed anyone.
My prayers to God are pure.
18 “Earth, please don’t cover up my blood!
May God always hear my cry for help!
19 Even now my witness is in heaven.
The one who speaks up for me is there.
20 My go-between is my friend
as I pour out my tears to God.
21 He makes his appeal to God to help me
as a person pleads for a friend.
45 “Suppose a master puts one of his slaves in charge of the other slaves in his house. The slave’s job is to give them their food at the right time. The master wants a faithful and wise slave for this. 46 It will be good for the slave if the master finds him doing his job when the master returns. 47 What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will put that slave in charge of everything he owns. 48 But suppose that slave is evil. Suppose he says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time.’ 49 Suppose he begins to beat the other slaves. And suppose he eats and drinks with those who drink too much. 50 The master of that slave will come back on a day the slave doesn’t expect him. He will return at an hour the slave does not know. 51 Then the master will cut him to pieces. He will send him to the place where pretenders go. There people will weep and grind their teeth.
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