Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
68 May God rise up and scatter his enemies.
May they turn and run away from him.
2 May you, God, blow them away like smoke.
As fire melts wax,
so may God destroy sinful people.
3 But may those who do what is right be glad
and filled with joy when they are with him.
May they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name.
Lift up a song to the God who rides on the clouds.
Be glad when you are with him.
His name is the Lord.
5 God is in his holy temple.
He is a father to children whose fathers have died.
He takes care of women whose husbands have died.
6 God gives lonely people a family.
He sets prisoners free, and they go out singing.
But those who refuse to obey him
live in a land that is baked by the sun.
7 God, you led your people out.
You marched through the desert.
8 The ground shook
when you, the God of Sinai, appeared.
The heavens poured down rain
when you, the God of Israel, appeared.
9 God, you gave us plenty of rain.
You renewed your worn-out land.
10 God, your people made their homes in it.
From all your riches, you provided for those who were poor.
19 Give praise to the Lord. Give praise to God our Savior.
He carries our heavy loads day after day.
20 Our God is a God who saves.
He is the King and the Lord. He saves us from death.
9 Children whose fathers have died
are torn away from their mothers.
A poor person’s baby is taken away to pay back what is owed.
10 The poor don’t have any clothes. They go around naked.
They carry bundles of grain, but they still go hungry.
11 They work very hard as they crush olives.
They stomp on grapes in winepresses,
but they are still thirsty.
12 The groans of those who are dying are heard from the city.
Those who are wounded cry out for help.
But God doesn’t charge anyone with doing what is wrong.
13 “Some people hate it when daylight comes.
In the daytime they never walk outside.
14 When daylight is gone, murderers get up.
They kill poor people and those who are in need.
In the night they sneak around like robbers.
15 Those who commit adultery wait until the sun goes down.
They think, ‘No one will see us.’
They keep their faces hidden.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses.
But by day they shut themselves in.
They don’t want anything to do with the light.
17 Midnight is like morning to them.
The terrors of darkness are their friends.
18 “But sinners are like bubbles on the surface of water.
Their share of the land is under God’s curse.
So no one goes to their vineyards.
19 Melted snow disappears when the air is hot and dry.
And sinners disappear when they go down into their graves.
20 Even their mothers forget them.
The worms in their graves eat them up.
No one remembers sinful people anymore.
They are cut down like trees.
21 They mistreat women who aren’t able to have children.
They aren’t kind to widows.
22 But God is powerful.
He even drags away people who are strong.
When he rises up against them,
they can never be sure they are safe.
23 God might let them rest and feel secure.
But his eyes see how they live.
24 For a little while they are honored.
Then they are gone.
They are brought low.
And they die like everyone else.
They are cut off like heads of grain.
25 “Who can prove that what I’m saying is wrong?
Who can prove that my words aren’t true?”
Paul Opposes Peter
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I told him to his face that I was against what he was doing. He was clearly wrong. 12 He used to eat with the Gentiles. But certain men came from a group sent by James. When they arrived, Peter began to draw back. He separated himself from the Gentiles. That’s because he was afraid of the circumcision group sent by James. 13 Peter’s actions were not honest, and other Jews in Antioch joined him. Even Barnabas was led astray.
14 I saw what they were doing. It was not in line with the truth of the good news. So I spoke to Peter in front of them all. “You are a Jew,” I said. “But you live like one who is not. So why do you force Gentiles to follow Jewish ways?”
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