Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Prayer of an Innocent Believer
Of David.
26 Lord, defend me because I have lived an innocent life.
I have trusted the Lord and never doubted.
2 Lord, try me and test me;
look closely into my heart and mind.
3 I see your love,
and I live by your truth.
4 I do not spend time with liars,
nor do I make friends with those who hide their sin.
5 I hate the company of evil people,
and I won’t sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands to show I am innocent,
and I come to your altar, Lord.
7 I raise my voice in praise
and tell of all the miracles you have done.
8 Lord, I love the Temple where you live,
where your glory is.
9 Do not kill me with those sinners
or take my life with those murderers.
10 Evil is in their hands,
and they do wrong for money.
11 But I have lived an innocent life,
so save me and have mercy on me.
12 I stand in a safe place.
Lord, I praise you in the great meeting.
7 “People have a hard task on earth,
and their days are like those of a laborer.
2 They are like a slave wishing for the evening shadows,
like a laborer waiting to be paid.
3 But I am given months that are empty,
and nights of misery have been given to me.
4 When I lie down, I think, ‘How long until I get up?’
The night is long, and I toss until dawn.
5 My body is covered with worms and scabs,
and my skin is broken and full of sores.
6 “My days go by faster than a weaver’s tool,
and they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember, God, that my life is only a breath.
My eyes will never see happy times again.
8 Those who see me now will see me no more;
you will look for me, but I will be gone.
9 As a cloud disappears and is gone,
people go to the grave and never return.
10 They will never come back to their houses again,
and their places will not know them anymore.
11 “So I will not stay quiet;
I will speak out in the suffering of my spirit.
I will complain because I am so unhappy.
12 I am not the sea or the sea monster.
So why have you set a guard over me?
13 Sometimes I think my bed will comfort me
or that my couch will stop my complaint.
14 Then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions.
15 My throat prefers to be choked;
my bones welcome death.
16 I hate my life; I don’t want to live forever.
Leave me alone, because my days have no meaning.
17 “Why do you make people so important
and give them so much attention?
18 You examine them every morning
and test them every moment.
19 Will you never look away from me
or leave me alone even long enough to swallow?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
you watcher of humans?
Why have you made me your target?
Have I become a heavy load for you?
21 Why don’t you pardon my wrongs
and forgive my sins?
I will soon lie down in the dust of death.
Then you will search for me, but I will be no more.”
God’s Law Cannot Be Changed
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, were listening to all these things and made fun of Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You make yourselves look good in front of people, but God knows what is really in your hearts. What is important to people is hateful in God’s sight.
16 “The law of Moses and the writings of the prophets were preached until John[a] came. Since then the Good News about the kingdom of God is being told, and everyone tries to enter it by force. 17 It would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the smallest part of a letter in the law to be changed.
Divorce and Remarriage
18 “If a man divorces his wife and marries another woman, he is guilty of adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman is also guilty of adultery.”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.