Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
12 But you, Lord, are enthroned forever;
You are remembered throughout all generations.
13 You will arise to extend compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show her favor—
the appointed time has come.
14 Your servants take pleasure in its stones
and delight in its debris.
15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth, your splendor.
16 When the Lord rebuilds Zion,
he will appear in his glory.
17 He will turn to the prayer of the destitute,
not despising their prayer.
18 Write this for the next generation,
that a people yet to be created will praise the Lord.
19 For when he looked down from his holy heights—
the Lord looked over the earth from heaven—
20 to listen to the groans of prisoners,
to set free those condemned to death,
21 so they would declare the name of the Lord in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when people and kingdoms gather together
to serve the Lord.
23 He has weakened my[a] strength along the way.[b]
He has cut short my days.
24 I say, “My God, whose years continue through all generations,
do not take me in the middle of my life.
25 You established the earth long ago;
the heavens are the work[c] of your hands.
26 They will perish,
but you will remain;
and they all will become worn out,[d] like a garment.
You[e] will change them like clothing,
and they will pass away.
27 But you remain the same;
your years never end.
28 May the descendants of your servants live securely,
and may their children be established in your presence.”
Job’s Suffering is Grave
6 In rebuttal, Job replied:
2 “If only my grief could be weighed;
or my calamity piled together on a balance scale!
3 It would weigh more than the sand on the seashore![a]
Here’s why I’ve talked so rashly:
4 “The arrows of the Almighty have pierced me;
my spirit absorbs[b] their poison;[c]
God’s terrors have been arranged just for me!
5 “Will the wild donkey bray from hunger[d] if fresh grass is beside him?
Will the ox low from distress[e] if it is near its feed?
6 Tasteless food isn’t eaten without salt, is it?
Is there any taste in an egg white?
7 I cannot bring myself to touch them;[f]
food like this makes me sick.”
Job Desires Death
Jesus Encounters a Large Crowd
7 So Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea. A large crowd from Galilee, Judea, 8 Jerusalem, Idumea, from across the Jordan, and from the region around Tyre and Sidon followed him. They came to him because they kept hearing about everything he was doing. 9 Jesus[a] told his disciples to have a boat ready for him so that the crowd wouldn’t crush him, 10 because he had healed so many people that everyone who had diseases kept crowding up against him in order to touch him. 11 Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they would fall down in front of him and scream, “You are the Son of God!” 12 But he sternly ordered them again and again not to tell people who he was.
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