Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Lord Is Good to His People

106 Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. ² Who can put into words the great works of the Lord? Who can make known all His praise? ³ Happy are those who are faithful in being fair and who always do what is right and good!

⁴ O Lord, remember me when You show favor to Your people. Visit me also when You save them. ⁵ So I may share in the well-being of Your chosen ones. So I may share in the joy of Your nation, and be proud of Your people.

⁶ We have sinned like our fathers. We have done wrong. We have been sinful in our actions.

¹⁹ They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a god of gold. ²⁰ They traded their shining-greatness for something that looked like a bull that eats grass. ²¹ They forgot the God Who saved them, Who had done great things in Egypt, ²² powerful works in the land of Ham, and works that brought fear by the Red Sea. ²³ So He said that He would destroy them. But Moses, His chosen one, stood in the way to keep His anger from destroying them.

⁹ Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the leaders of Israel. ¹⁰ And they saw the God of Israel. The ground under His feet looked like sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ He did not let His hand come against the leaders of Israel. But they saw God, and ate and drank.

⁴ You are as wives and husbands who are not faithful in marriage and do sex sins. Do you not know that to love the sinful things of the world and to be a friend to them is to be against God? Yes, I say it again, if you are a friend of the world, you are against God. ⁵ Do you think the Holy Writings mean nothing when they said, “The Holy Spirit Whom God has given to live in us has a strong desire for us to be faithful to Him”?

⁶ But He gives us more loving-favor. For the Holy Writings say, “God works against the proud but gives loving-favor to those who have no pride.” ^{(A) 7} So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil and he will run away from you. ⁸ Come close to God and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Clean up your hearts, you who want to follow the sinful ways of the world and God at the same time. ⁹ Be sorry for your sins and cry because of them. Be sad and do not laugh. Let your joy be turned to sorrow. ¹⁰ Let yourself be brought low before the Lord. Then He will lift you up and help you.