Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 68
Praise and Thanksgiving
To the leader. Of David. A Psalm. A Song.
1 Let God rise up; let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee before him.(A)
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
let the wicked perish before God.(B)
3 But let the righteous be joyful;
let them exult before God;
let them be jubilant with joy.(C)
4 Sing to God; sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds[a]—
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.(D)
5 Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.(E)
6 God gives the desolate a home to live in;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.(F)
7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, Selah(G)
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.(H)
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
you restored your heritage when it languished;(I)
10 your flock found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.(J)
9 “There are those who snatch the orphan child from the breast
and take as a pledge the infant of the poor.(A)
10 They go about naked, without clothing;
though hungry, they carry the sheaves;
11 between their terraces[a] they press out oil;
they tread the winepresses but suffer thirst.
12 From the city the dying groan,
and the throat of the wounded cries for help;
yet God pays no attention to their prayer.(B)
13 “There are those who rebel against the light,
who are not acquainted with its ways
and do not stay in its paths.(C)
14 The murderer rises at dusk
to kill the poor and needy
and in the night is like a thief.(D)
15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight,
saying, ‘No eye will see me,’
and he disguises his face.(E)
16 In the dark they dig through houses;
by day they shut themselves up;
they do not know the light.(F)
17 For deep darkness is morning to all of them;
for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness.(G)
18 “Swift are they on the face of the waters;
their portion in the land is cursed;
no treader turns toward their vineyards.(H)
19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters;
so does Sheol those who have sinned.(I)
20 The womb forgets them;
the worm finds them sweet;
they are no longer remembered,
so wickedness is broken like a tree.(J)
21 “They harm[b] the childless woman
and do no good to the widow.(K)
22 Yet God[c] prolongs the life of the mighty by his power;
they rise up when they despair of life.(L)
23 He gives them security, and they are supported;
his eyes are upon their ways.(M)
24 They are exalted a little while and then are gone;
they wither and fade like the mallow;[d]
they are cut off like the heads of grain.(N)
25 If it is not so, who will prove me a liar
and show that there is nothing in what I say?”
Paul Rebukes Peter at Antioch
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood self-condemned,(A) 12 for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction.(B) 13 And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the gentiles to live like Jews?”[a](C)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.