Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Prayer for deliverance from secret enemies.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
64 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint:
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evil-doers,
From the [a]tumult of the workers of iniquity;
3 Who have whet their tongue like a sword,
And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect:
Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil purpose;
They commune of laying snares privily;
They say, Who will see them?
6 They search out iniquities;
[b]We have accomplished, say they, a diligent search:
And the inward thought and the heart of every one is deep.
7 But God will shoot at them;
With an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded.
8 So [c]they shall be made to stumble, their own tongue being against them:
All that see them shall [d]wag the head.
9 And all men shall fear;
And they shall declare the work of God,
And shall wisely consider of his doing.
10 The righteous shall be glad in Jehovah, and shall take refuge in him;
And all the upright in heart shall glory.
18 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2 How long will ye hunt for words?
Consider, and afterwards we will speak.
3 Wherefore are we counted as beasts,
And are become unclean in your sight?
4 Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger,
Shall the earth be forsaken for thee?
Or shall the rock be removed out of its place?
5 Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out,
And the [a]spark of his fire shall not shine.
6 The light shall be dark in his tent,
And his lamp [b]above him shall be put out.
7 The steps of his strength shall be straitened,
And his own counsel shall cast him down.
8 For he is cast into a net by his own feet,
And he walketh upon the toils.
9 A gin shall take him by the heel,
And a snare shall lay hold on him.
10 A noose is hid for him in the ground,
And a trap for him in the way.
11 Terrors shall make him afraid on every side,
And shall chase him at his heels.
12 His strength shall be hunger-bitten,
And calamity shall be ready [c]at his side.
13 The [d]members of his body shall be devoured,
Yea, the first-born of death shall devour his members.
14 He shall be rooted out of his tent wherein he trusteth;
And [e]he shall be brought to the king of terrors.
15 [f]There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his:
Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.
16 His roots shall be dried up beneath,
And above shall his branch [g]be cut off.
17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth,
And he shall have no name in the street.
18 He shall be driven from light into darkness,
And chased out of the world.
19 He shall have neither son nor son’s son among his people,
Nor any remaining where he sojourned.
20 [h]They that come after shall be astonished at his day,
As they that went before [i]were affrighted.
21 Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous,
And this is the place of him that knoweth not God.
18 For the word of the cross is to them that [a]perish foolishness; but unto us who [b]are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
[c]I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the discernment of the discerning will I bring to nought.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this [d]world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the [e]preaching to save them that believe. 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach [f]Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 24 but unto [g]them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For [h]behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; 28 and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea [i]and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: 29 that no flesh should glory before God. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, [j]and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 31 that, according as it is written, [k]He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
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