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].
9
“Others snatch the fatherless [infants] from the breast [to sell or make them slaves],
And against the poor they take a pledge [of clothing].
10
“They cause the poor to go about naked without clothing,
And they take away the sheaves [of grain] from the hungry.
11
“Within the walls [of the wicked] the poor make [olive] oil;
They tread [the grapes in] the wine presses, but thirst.
12
“From the [populous and crowded] city men groan,
And the souls of the wounded cry out for help;
Yet God [seemingly] does not pay attention to the wrong [done to them].
13
“Others have been with those who rebel against the light;
They do not want to know its ways
Nor stay in its paths.
14
“The murderer rises at dawn;
He kills the poor and the needy,
And at night he becomes a thief.
15
“The eye of the adulterer waits for the twilight,
Saying, ‘No eye will see me,’
And he covers his face.
16
“In the dark they dig into [the penetrable walls of] houses;
They shut themselves up by day;
They do not know the light [of day].
17
“For the morning is the same to him as the thick darkness [of midnight];
For he is familiar with the terrors of thick darkness.
18
“They are insignificant on the surface of the water;
Their portion is cursed on the earth;
They do not turn toward the vineyards.
19
“Drought and heat consume the snow waters;
So does Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) [consume] those who have sinned.
20
“A mother will forget him;
The worm feeds on him until he is no longer remembered.
And wickedness will be broken like a tree [which cannot be restored].(A)
21
“He preys on the barren (childless) woman
And does no good for the widow.
22
“Yet God draws away the mighty by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.
23
“God gives them security, and they are supported;
And His eyes are on their ways.
24
“They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone;
Moreover, they are brought low and like everything [they are] gathered up and taken out of the way;
Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.
25
“And if this is not so, who can prove me a liar
And make my speech worthless?”
Peter (Cephas) Opposed by Paul
11 Now when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I opposed him face to face [about his conduct there], because he stood condemned [by his own actions]. 12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat [his meals] with the Gentiles; but when the men [from Jerusalem] arrived, he began to withdraw and separate himself [from the Gentile believers], because he was afraid of those from the [a]circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in this hypocrisy [ignoring their knowledge that Jewish and Gentile Christians were united, under the new covenant, into one faith], with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not being straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas (Peter) in front of everyone, “If you, being a Jew, live [as you have been living] like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how is it that you are [now virtually] forcing the Gentiles to live like Jews [if they want to eat with you]?”
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