Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

³ Lord my God, what have I done?
    Have my hands done something wrong?
⁴ Have I done wrong to my friend?
    Have I stolen from my enemy?
⁵ If I have, let my enemy chase me and capture me.
    Let him trample me into the dust.
    Let him bury me in the ground. Selah

⁶ Lord, rise up in your anger.
    Stand up against my enemies’ anger.
    Get up and demand fairness.
⁷ Gather the nations around you,
    and rule them from above.
⁸ Lord, judge the people.
    Lord, defend me.
Prove that I am right.
    Show that I have done no wrong, God Most High.
⁹ God, you do what is right.
    You know our thoughts and feelings.
Stop those wicked actions done by evil people.
    And help those who do what is right.

¹⁰ God Most High protects me like a shield.
    He saves those whose hearts are right.
¹¹ God judges by what is right.
    And God is always ready to punish the wicked.
¹² If they do not change their lives,
    God will sharpen his sword.
    He will string his bow and take aim.
¹³ He has prepared his deadly weapons.
    He has made his flaming arrows.

¹⁴ There are people who think up evil.
    They plan trouble and tell lies.
¹⁵ They dig a hole to trap other people.
    But they will fall into it themselves.
¹⁶ They themselves will get into trouble.
    The violence they cause will hurt only themselves.

¹⁷ I praise the Lord because he does what is right.
    I sing praises to the name of the Lord Most High.

⁶ “I did not give you any food to eat.
    There was not enough food in any of your towns.
    But you did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
⁷ “I held back the rain from you
    three months before harvest time.
Then I let it rain on one city
    but not on another.
Rain fell on one field,
    but another field got none and dried up.
⁸ People weak from thirst went from town to town for water.
    But they could not get enough water to drink.
    But you still did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
⁹ “I made your crops die from disease and mildew.
    I destroyed your gardens and your vineyards.
Locusts ate your fig trees and olive trees.
    But you still did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
¹⁰ “I sent disasters against you,
    as I did to Egypt.
I killed your young men with swords.
    I also killed your horses.
I made you smell the stink from all the dead bodies.
    But you still did not come back to me,” says the Lord.
¹¹ “I destroyed some of you
    as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
You were like a burning stick pulled from a fire.
    But you still have not come back to me,” says the Lord.

¹² “So this is what I will do to you, Israel.
    And because I will do this to you,
    get ready to meet your God, Israel.”

¹³ He is the one who makes the mountains.
    He creates the wind.
    He makes his thoughts known to man.
He changes the dawn into darkness.
    He walks over the mountains of the earth.
    His name is the Lord God of heaven’s armies.