Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Book III
The end of the wicked contrasted with that of the righteous.
A Psalm of Asaph.
[a]73 Surely God is good to Israel,
Even to such as are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone;
My steps had well nigh slipped.
3 For I was envious at the [b]arrogant,
When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pangs in their death;
But their strength is firm.
5 They are not [c]in trouble as other men;
Neither are they plagued like other men.
6 Therefore pride is as a chain about their neck;
Violence covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out with fatness:
[d]They have more than heart could wish.
8 They scoff, and in wickedness utter oppression:
They speak [e]loftily.
9 They have set their mouth [f]in the heavens,
And their tongue walketh through the earth.
10 Therefore [g]his people return hither:
And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
11 And they say, How doth God know?
And is there knowledge in the Most High?
12 Behold, these are the wicked;
And, being alway at ease, they increase in riches.
13 Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart,
And washed my hands in innocency;
14 For all the day long have I been plagued,
And [h]chastened every morning.
15 If I had said, I will speak thus;
Behold, I had dealt treacherously with the generation of thy children.
16 When I thought how I might know this,
It was [i]too painful for me;
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God,
And considered their latter end.
18 Surely thou settest them in slippery places:
Thou castest them down to [j]destruction.
19 How are they become a desolation in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
20 As a dream when one awaketh,
So, O Lord, [k]when thou awakest, thou wilt despise their image.
21 For my soul [l]was grieved,
And I was pricked in my [m]heart:
22 So brutish [n]was I, and ignorant;
I was as a beast [o]before thee.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee:
Thou hast holden my right hand.
24 Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel,
And afterward receive me [p]to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but thee?
And there is none upon earth that I desire [q]besides thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth;
But God is the [r]strength of my heart and my portion for ever.
27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish:
Thou hast destroyed all them that play the harlot, departing from thee.
28 But it is good for me to draw near unto God:
I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge,
That I may tell of all thy works.
6 Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
7 Gird up thy loins now like a man:
I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8 Wilt thou even annul my judgment?
Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified?
9 Or hast thou an arm like God?
And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10 Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity;
And array thyself with honor and majesty.
11 Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger;
And look upon every one that is proud, and abase him.
12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low;
And tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Hide them in the dust together;
Bind their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then will I also confess of thee
That thine own right hand can save thee.
42 Then Job answered Jehovah, and said,
2 I know that thou canst do all things,
And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.
3 Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge?
Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not,
Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak;
I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
5 I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear;
But now mine eye seeth thee:
6 Wherefore I [a]abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.
31 Simon, Simon, behold, Satan [a]asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: 32 but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. 33 And he said unto him, Lord, with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to death.
54 And they seized him, and led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed afar off. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the court, and had sat down together, Peter sat in the midst of them. 56 And a certain maid seeing him as he sat in the light of the fire, and looking stedfastly upon him, said, This man also was with him. 57 But he denied, saying, Woman, I know him not. 58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou also art one of them. But Peter said, Man, I am not. 59 And after the space of about one hour another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this man also was with him; for he is a Galilaean. 60 But Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how that he said unto him, Before the cock crow this day thou shalt deny me thrice. 62 And he went out, and wept bitterly.
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)