Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Nun
God’s Word a Light
105 Your word is[a] a lamp for my feet,
a light for my pathway.
106 I have given my word and affirmed it,
to keep your righteous judgments.
107 I am severely afflicted.
Revive me, Lord, according to your word.
108 Lord, please accept my voluntary offerings of praise,[b]
and teach me your judgments.
109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I do not forget your instruction.[c]
110 Though the wicked lay a trap for me,
I haven’t wandered away from your precepts.
111 I have inherited your decrees forever,
because they are the joy of my heart.
112 As a result, I am determined
to carry out your statutes forever.
The Folly of Laziness
6 Go to the ant, you lazy man!
Observe its ways and become wise.
7 It has no commander,
officer, or ruler,
8 but prepares its provisions in the summer
and gathers its food in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, lazy man?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and your poverty will come on you like a bandit
and your desperation like an armed man.
The Folly of Causing Strife
12 A worthless man, a wicked man,
goes around with devious speech,
13 winking with his eyes, making signs[a] with[b] his feet,
pointing with his fingers,
14 planning evil with a perverse mind,[c]
continually stirring up discord.
15 Therefore, disaster will overtake him suddenly.
He will be broken in an instant,
and he will never recover.
What God Hates
16 Here are six things that the Lord hates—
seven, in fact,[d] are detestable to him:[e]
17 Arrogant eyes,
a lying tongue,
and hands shedding innocent blood;
18 a heart crafting evil plans,
feet running swiftly to wickedness,
19 a false witness snorting lies,
and someone sowing quarrels between brothers.
Parental Counsel about Immorality
20 Keep your father’s commands, my son,
and never forsake your mother’s rules,[f]
21 by binding them to your heart continuously,
fastening them around your neck.
22 During your travels wisdom[g] will lead you;
she will watch over you while you rest;
and when you are startled from your sleep,
she will commune with you.
23 Because the command is a lamp
and the Law a light,
rebukes that discipline are a way of life—
Jesus the Light of the World
12 Later on, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
13 The Pharisees told him, “You’re testifying about yourself. Your testimony isn’t valid.”[a]
14 Jesus answered them, “Even though I’m testifying about myself, my testimony is valid[b] because I know where I’ve come from and where I’m going. But you don’t know where I come from or where I’m going. 15 You’re judging by human standards,[c] but I’m not judging anyone. 16 Yet even if I should judge, my judgment would be valid,[d] because it is not I alone who judges, but I and the one who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two people is valid.[e] 18 I’m testifying about myself, and the Father who sent me is testifying about me.”
19 Then they asked him, “Where is this Father of yours?”
Jesus replied, “You don’t know me or my Father. If you had known me, you would’ve known my Father, too.” 20 He spoke these words in the treasury, while he was teaching in the Temple. Yet no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.
The One from Above
21 Later on, he told them again, “I’m going away, and you’ll look for me, but you will die in your sin.[f] You cannot come where I’m going.”
22 So the Jewish leaders[g] were asking, “He isn’t going to kill himself, is he? Is that why he said,[h] ‘You cannot come where I’m going’?”
23 He told them, “You are from below, I’m from above. You are of this world, but I’m not of this world. 24 That is why I told you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I AM, you’ll die in your sins.”
25 Then they asked him, “Who are you?”
Jesus told them, “What have I been telling you all along?[i] 26 I have much to say about you and to condemn you for.[j] But the one who sent me is truthful,[k] and what I’ve heard from him I declare to the world.”
27 They didn’t realize that he was talking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus told them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own authority. Instead, I speak only what the Father has taught me. 29 Moreover, the one who sent me is with me. He has never left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” 30 While he was saying these things, many believed in him.
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