Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered;
Let those who hate Him flee before Him.
2
As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked and guilty perish before [the presence of] God.
3
But let the righteous be glad; let them be in good spirits before God,
Yes, let them rejoice with delight.
4
Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Lift up a song for Him who rides through the desert—
His name is the Lord—be in good spirits before Him.
5
A father of the fatherless and a judge and protector of the widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6
God makes a home for the lonely;
He leads the prisoners into prosperity,
Only the stubborn and rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7
O God, when You went out before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.
8
The earth trembled;
The heavens also poured down rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself trembled at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9
You, O God, sent abroad plentiful rain;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched and weary.
10
Your flock found a dwelling place in it;
O God, in Your goodness You provided for the poor.
19
Blessed be the Lord, who bears our burden day by day,
The God who is our salvation! Selah.
20
God is to us a God of acts of salvation;
And to [a]God the Lord belong escapes from death [setting us free].
Eliphaz Accuses and Exhorts Job
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2
“Can a vigorous man be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself?(A)
3
“Is it any pleasure or joy to [a]the Almighty that you are righteous?
Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect?(B)
4
“Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you,
That He enters into judgment against you?
5
“Is not your wickedness great,
And your sins without end?
6
“For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped men naked.
7
“You have not given water to the weary to drink,
And you have withheld bread from the hungry.(C)
8
“But the land is possessed by the man with power,
And the favored and honorable man dwells in it.
9
“You have sent widows away empty-handed,
And the arms (strength) of the fatherless have been broken.
10
“Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies and overwhelms you;
11
Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And a flood of water covers you.
12
“Is not God in the height of heaven?
And behold the distant stars, how high they are!
13
“You say, ‘What does God know [about me]?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14
‘Thick clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see,
And He walks on the vault (circle) of the heavens.’
15
“Will you keep to the ancient path
That wicked men walked [in the time of Noah],(D)
16
Men who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundations were poured out like a river?
17
“They said to God, ‘Depart from us!
What can the Almighty do for us or to us?’
18
“Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked and ungodly is far from me.
19
“The righteous see it and are glad;
And the innocent mock and laugh at them, saying,
20
‘Surely our adversaries are cut off and destroyed,
And fire has consumed their abundance.’
The Council at Jerusalem
2 Then after a period of fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem, [this time] with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. 2 I went up [to Jerusalem] because of a [divine] revelation, and I put before them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so in private before those of [a]reputation, for fear that I might be running or had run [the course of my ministry] in vain. 3 But [all went well, for] not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled [as some had anticipated] to be circumcised, despite the fact that he was a Greek. 4 My concern was because of the [b]false brothers [those people masquerading as Christians] who had been secretly smuggled in [to the community of believers]. They had slipped in to spy on the freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us back into bondage [under the Law of Moses]. 5 But we did not yield to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would continue to remain with you [in its purity]. 6 But from those who were of high reputation (whatever they were—in terms of individual importance—makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality—He is not impressed with the positions that people hold nor does He recognize distinctions such as fame or power)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me [that is, they had nothing to add to my gospel message nor did they impose any new requirements on me].(A) 7 But on the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised (Gentiles), just as Peter had been [entrusted to proclaim the gospel] to the circumcised (Jews); 8 (for He who worked effectively for Peter and empowered him in his ministry to the Jews also worked effectively for me and empowered me in my ministry to the Gentiles). 9 And recognizing the grace [that God had] bestowed on me, James and Cephas (Peter) and John, who were reputed to be pillars [of the Jerusalem church], gave to me and Barnabas the [c]right hand of fellowship, so that we could go to the Gentiles [with their blessing] and they to the circumcised (Jews). 10 They asked only [one thing], that we remember the poor, the very thing I was also eager to do.
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