Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

To the chief Musician. Of David. A Psalm: a Song.

68 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, and let them that hate him flee before him.

² As smoke is driven, thou wilt drive them away; as wax melteth before the fire, the wicked shall perish at the presence of God.

³ But the righteous shall rejoice: they shall exult before God and be glad with joy.

⁴ Sing unto God, sing forth his name; cast up a way for him that rideth in the deserts: his name is Jah; and rejoice before him.

⁵ A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

⁶ God maketh the solitary into families; those that were bound he bringeth out into prosperity: but the rebellious dwell in a parched [land].

⁷ O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness—(Selah)—

⁸ The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God, yon Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

⁹ Thou, O God, didst pour a plentiful rain upon thine inheritance, and when it was weary thou strengthenedst it.

¹⁰ Thy flock hath dwelt therein: thou hast prepared in thy goodness, for the afflicted, O God!

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord: day by day doth he load us [with good], the God who is our salvation. Selah.

²⁰ Our God is the God of salvation; and with Jehovah, the Lord, are the goings forth [even] from death.

22 And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

² Can a man be profitable to God? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.

³ Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?

⁴ Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?

⁵ Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?

⁶ For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.

⁷ Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.

⁸ But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.

⁹ Widows hast thou sent empty away, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

¹⁰ Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;

¹¹ Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods of waters cover thee.

¹² Is not +God in the height of the heavens? And behold the summit of the stars: how exalted are they!

¹³ And thou sayest, What doth God know? will he judge through the dark cloud?

¹⁴ Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh on the vault of the heavens.

¹⁵ Dost thou mark the ancient path which wicked men have trodden?

¹⁶ Who were carried off before the time, whose foundation was overflowed with a flood;

¹⁷ Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?

¹⁸ Yet he filled their houses with good. But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

¹⁹ The righteous see it, and are glad; and the innocent laugh them to scorn:

²⁰ Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?

2 Then after a lapse of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus also with [me];

² and I went up according to revelation, and I laid before them the glad tidings which I preach among the nations, but privately to those conspicuous [among them], lest in any way I run or had run in vain;

³ (but neither was Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, compelled to be circumcised;)

⁴ and [it was] on account of the false brethren brought in surreptitiously, who came in surreptitiously to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage;

⁵ to whom we yielded in subjection not even for an hour, that the truth of the glad tidings might remain with you.

⁶ But from those who were conspicuous as being somewhat—whatsoever they were, it makes no difference to me: God does not accept man's person; for to me those who were conspicuous communicated nothing;

⁷ but, on the contrary, seeing that the glad tidings of the uncircumcision were confided to me, even as to Peter that of the circumcision,

⁸ (for he that wrought in Peter for [the] apostleship of the circumcision wrought also in me towards the Gentiles,)

⁹ and recognising the grace given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were conspicuous as being pillars, gave to me and Barnabas [the] right hands of fellowship, that *we* [should go] to the nations, and *they* to the circumcision;

¹⁰ only that we should remember the poor, which same thing also I was diligent to do.