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.
Eliphaz: Innocent Do Not Suffer
4 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2
“If we dare to converse with you, will you be impatient [or offended]?
But who can restrain himself from speaking?
3
“Behold, you have admonished and instructed many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
4
“Your words have helped the one who was stumbling to stand,
And you have strengthened feeble knees.
5
“But now [a]adversity comes upon you, and you are impatient and intolerant;
It touches you, and you are horrified.
6
“Is not your fear of God your confidence,
And [is not] the integrity and uprightness of your ways your hope?
7
“Remember now, who, being innocent, ever perished?
Or where [and in what circumstances] were those upright and in right standing with God destroyed?
8
“As I have seen, those who plow wickedness
And those who sow trouble and harm harvest it.
9
“By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of His anger they are consumed.
10
“The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion,
And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11
“The lion perishes for lack of prey,
And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12
“Now a word was secretly brought to me,
And my ear received a whisper of it.
13
“Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night,
When deep sleep falls on men,
14
Dread and trembling came upon me,
Which made all my bones shake.
15
“Then a spirit passed before my face;
The hair on my skin stood on end!
16
“The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance;
A form was before my eyes;
There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:
17
‘Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He?
Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?(A)
18
‘God puts no trust or confidence, even in His [heavenly] servants,
And He charges His angels with error.
19
‘How much more [will He blame and charge] those who dwell in houses (bodies) of clay,
Whose foundations are in the dust,
Who are crushed like a moth.
20
‘Between morning and evening they are broken in pieces and destroyed;
Unobserved and unnoticed, they perish forever.
21
‘Is not their tent-cord drawn up within them [so that the tent collapses]?
Do they not die, and yet without [acquiring] wisdom?’
Escape from Bondage
8 Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior].(A) 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son],(B) 4 so that the [righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power]. 5 For those who are living according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh [which gratify the body], but those who are living according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit [His will and purpose]. 6 Now the mind of the flesh is death [both now and forever—because it pursues sin]; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace [the spiritual well-being that comes from walking with God—both now and forever]; 7 the mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law, since it cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh [living a life that caters to sinful appetites and impulses] cannot please God.
9 However, you are not [living] in the flesh [controlled by the sinful nature] but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God lives in you [directing and guiding you]. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him [and is not a child of God].(C) 10 If Christ lives in you, though your [natural] body is dead because of sin, your spirit is alive because of righteousness [which He provides]. 11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.
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