Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity;
I have [relied on and] trusted [confidently] in the Lord without wavering and I shall not slip.
2
Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my heart and my mind.
3
For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have walked [faithfully] in Your truth.
4
I do not sit with deceitful or unethical or worthless men,
Nor seek companionship with pretenders (self-righteous hypocrites).
5
I hate the company of evildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.
6
I will wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about Your altar, O Lord,
7
That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving
And declare all Your wonders.
8
O Lord, I love the habitation of Your house
And the place where Your glory dwells.
9
Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
Nor [sweep away] my life with men of bloodshed,
10
In whose hands is a wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of bribes.
11
But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
Redeem me and be merciful and gracious to me.
12
My foot stands on a level place;
In the congregations I will bless the Lord.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him. 12 When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him [because of his disfigurement], they raised their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe [in grief] and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky [in sorrow]. 13 So they sat down on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
Job’s Lament
3 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2 [a]And Job said,
3
“Let the day on which I was born perish,
And the night which announced: ‘There is a man-child conceived.’
4
“May that day be darkness;
Let God above not care about it,
Nor light shine on it.
5
“Let darkness and gloom claim it for their own;
Let a cloud settle upon it;
Let all that blackens the day terrify it (the day that I was born).
6
“As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not be counted in the number of the months.
7
“Behold, let that night be barren [and empty];
Let no joyful voice enter it.
8
“Let those curse it [b]who curse the day,
Who are skilled in rousing up Leviathan.
9
“Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;
Let the morning wait in vain for the light,
Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),
10
Because it did not shut the doors of my mother’s womb,
Nor hide trouble from my eyes.
11
“Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
12
“Why did the knees receive me?
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
13
“For now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest [in death],
14
With kings and counselors of the earth,
Who built up [now desolate] ruins for themselves;
15
Or with princes who had gold,
Who filled their houses with silver.
16
“Or like a miscarriage which is hidden and put away, I would not exist,
Like infants who never saw light.
17
“There [in death] the wicked cease from raging,
And there the weary are at rest.
18
“There the prisoners rest together;
They do not hear the taskmaster’s voice.
19
“The small and the great are there,
And the servant is free from his master.(A)
20
“Why is the light given to him who is in misery,
And life to the bitter in soul,
21
Who wait for death, but it does not come,
And dig (search) for death more [diligently] than for hidden treasures,
22
Who rejoice exceedingly,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
23
“Why is the light of day given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?
24
“For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And my cries [of despair] are poured out like water.
25
“For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me,
And that of which I am afraid has come upon me.
26
“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, and yet trouble still comes [upon me].”
23 Now before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, [perpetually] imprisoned [in preparation] for the faith that was destined to be revealed, 24 with the result that the Law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ, so that we may be [a]justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and placed in right standing with God] by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under [the control and authority of] a tutor and disciplinarian. 26 For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His characteristics and values]. 28 There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority].(A) 29 And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.
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