Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
21
When my heart was embittered
And I was pierced within [as with the fang of an adder],
22
Then I was senseless and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24
You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to honor and glory.
25
Whom have I in heaven [but You]?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the rock and strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27
For behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful and have abandoned You.
28
But as for me, it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge and placed my trust in Him,
That I may tell of all Your works.
On Life and Conduct
22 A good name [earned by honorable behavior, godly wisdom, moral courage, and personal integrity] is more desirable than great riches;
And favor is better than silver and gold.
2
The rich and poor have a common bond;
The Lord is the Maker of them all.(A)
3
A prudent and far-sighted person sees the evil [of sin] and hides himself [from it],
But the naive continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin].
4
The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord
Is riches, honor, and life.(B)
5
Thorns and snares are in the way of the obstinate [for their lack of honor and their wrong-doing traps them];
He who guards himself [with godly wisdom] will be far from them and avoid the consequences they suffer.
6
Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents],
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.(C)
7
The rich rules over the poor,
And the borrower is servant to the lender.
8
He who sows injustice will reap [a harvest of] trouble,
And the rod of his wrath [with which he oppresses others] will fail.
9
He who is generous will be blessed,
For he gives some of his food to the poor.(D)
10
Drive out the scoffer, and contention will go away;
Even strife and dishonor will cease.
11
He who loves purity of heart
And whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend.
12
The eyes of the Lord keep guard over knowledge and the one who has it,
But He overthrows the words of the treacherous.
13
The lazy one [manufactures excuses and] says, “There is a lion outside!
I will be killed in the streets [if I go out to work]!”
14
The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit [deep and inescapable];
He who is cursed by the Lord [because of his adulterous sin] will fall into it.
15
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline [correction administered with godly wisdom and lovingkindness] will remove it far from him.
16
He who oppresses or exploits the poor to get more for himself
Or who gives to the rich [to gain influence and favor], will only come to poverty.
17
Listen carefully and hear the [a]words of the wise,
And apply your mind to my knowledge;
18
For it will be pleasant if you keep them in mind [incorporating them as guiding principles];
Let them be ready on your lips [to guide and strengthen yourself and others].
19
So that your trust and reliance and confidence may be in the Lord,
I have taught these things to you today, even to you.
20
Have I not written to you excellent things
In counsels and knowledge,
21
To let you know the certainty of the words of truth,
That you may give a correct answer to him who sent you?(E)
9 Well then, are we [Jews] better off than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles) are under the control of sin and subject to its power. 10 As it is written and forever remains written,
“There is none righteous [none that meets God’s standard], not even one.(A)
11
“There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God.(B)
12
“All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”(C)
13
“Their throat is an open grave;
They [habitually] deceive with their tongues.”
“The venom of asps is beneath their lips.”(D)
14
“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”(E)
15
“Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16
Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17
And they have not known the path of peace.”(F)
18
“There is no fear of God [and His awesome power] before their eyes.”(G)
19 Now we know that whatever the Law [of Moses] says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the excuses of] every mouth may be silenced [from protesting] and that all the world may be held accountable to God [and subject to His judgment]. 20 For no [a]person will be justified [freed of guilt and declared righteous] in His sight by [trying to do] the works of the Law. For through the Law we become conscious of sin [and the recognition of sin directs us toward repentance, but provides no remedy for sin].
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.