Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 68[a]
For the music director, by David, a psalm, a song.
68 God springs into action.[b]
His enemies scatter;
his adversaries[c] run from him.[d]
2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away.[e]
As wax melts before fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.
3 But the godly[f] are happy;
they rejoice before God
and are overcome with joy.[g]
4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name.
Exalt the one who rides on the clouds.[h]
For the Lord is his name.[i]
Rejoice before him.
5 He is a father to the fatherless
and an advocate for widows.[j]
God rules from his holy dwelling place.[k]
6 God settles in their own homes those who have been deserted;[l]
he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity.[m]
But sinful rebels live in the desert.[n]
7 O God, when you lead your people into battle,[o]
when you march through the wastelands,[p] (Selah)
8 the earth shakes.
Yes, the heavens pour down rain
before God, the God of Sinai,[q]
before God, the God of Israel.[r]
9 O God, you cause abundant showers to fall[s] on your chosen people.[t]
When they[u] are tired, you sustain them,[v]
10 for you live among them.[w]
You sustain the oppressed with your good blessings, O God.
Eliphaz’s Third Speech[a]
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit?
Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable?[b]
3 Is it of any special benefit[c] to the Almighty
that you should be righteous,
or is it any gain to him
that you make your ways blameless?[d]
4 Is it because of your piety[e] that he rebukes you
and goes to judgment with you?[f]
5 Is not your wickedness great[g]
and is there no end to your iniquity?
6 “For you took pledges[h] from your brothers
for no reason,
and you stripped the clothing from the naked.[i]
7 You gave the weary[j] no water to drink
and from the hungry you withheld food.
8 Although you were a powerful man,[k] owning land,[l]
an honored man[m] living on it,[n]
9 you sent widows away empty-handed,
and the arms[o] of the orphans you crushed.[p]
10 That is why snares surround you,
and why sudden fear terrifies you,
11 why it is so dark you cannot see,[q]
and why a flood[r] of water covers you.
12 “Is not God on high in heaven?[s]
And see[t] the lofty stars,[u] how high they are!
13 But you have said, ‘What does God know?
Does he judge through such deep darkness?[v]
14 Thick clouds are a veil for him, so he does not see us,[w]
as he goes back and forth
in the vault[x] of heaven.’[y]
15 Will you keep to the old path[z]
that evil men have walked—
16 men[aa] who were carried off[ab] before their time,[ac]
when the flood[ad] was poured out[ae]
on their foundations?[af]
17 They were saying to God, ‘Turn away from us,’
and, ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’[ag]
18 But it was he[ah] who filled their houses
with good things—
yet the counsel of the wicked[ai]
was far from me.[aj]
19 The righteous see their destruction[ak] and rejoice;
the innocent mock them scornfully,[al] saying,
20 ‘Surely our enemies[am] are destroyed,
and fire consumes their wealth.’
Confirmation from the Jerusalem Apostles
2 Then after fourteen years I went up to Jerusalem again with Barnabas, taking Titus along too. 2 I went there[a] because of[b] a revelation and presented[c] to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so[d] only in a private meeting with the influential people,[e] to make sure that I was not running—or had not run[f]—in vain. 3 Yet[g] not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, although he was a Greek. 4 Now this matter arose[h] because of the false brothers with false pretenses[i] who slipped in unnoticed to spy on[j] our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves.[k] 5 But[l] we did not surrender to them[m] even for a moment,[n] in order that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.[o]
6 But from those who were influential[p] (whatever they were makes no difference to me; God shows no favoritism between people[q])—those influential leaders[r] added[s] nothing to my message.[t] 7 On the contrary, when they saw[u] that I was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised[v] just as Peter was entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised[w] 8 (for he who empowered[x] Peter for his apostleship[y] to the circumcised[z] also empowered me for my apostleship to the Gentiles)[aa] 9 and when James, Cephas,[ab] and John, who had a reputation as[ac] pillars,[ad] recognized[ae] the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me[af] the right hand of fellowship, agreeing[ag] that we would go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.[ah] 10 They requested[ai] only that we remember the poor, the very thing I also was eager to do.
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