Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Prayer of an Innocent Man
Of David.
26 Lord, defend me.
I have lived an innocent life.
I 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.
I live by your truth.
4 I do not spend time with liars.
I do not make friends with people who hide their sin.
5 I hate the company of evil people.
I won’t sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands to show I am innocent.
I come to your altar, Lord.
7 I raise my voice in praise.
I tell of all the miracles you have done.
8 Lord, I love the Temple where you live.
It is where your greatness is.
9 Do not kill me with those sinners.
Do not take my life with those murderers.
10 Evil is in their hands.
They do wrong for money.
11 But I have lived an innocent life.
So save me and be kind to me.
12 I stand in a safe place.
Lord, I praise you in the great meeting.
7 “Man has a hard task on earth.
His days are like those of a hired man.
2 Man is like a slave wishing for the evening shadows.
Or he is like a hired man who wants his pay.
3 But I am given months that are empty.
Nights of misery have been given to me.
4 When I lie down, I think, ‘How long is it until I get up?’
The night is long, and I toss until dawn.
5 My body is covered with worms and scabs.
My skin is broken and full of running sores.
6 “My days go by faster than a weaver moves his tool.
And they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember, God, that my life is only as long as 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 A cloud disappears and is gone.
In the same way, a person who goes where the dead are does not return.
10 He will never come back to his house again.
His place will not know him 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 I think my couch will stop my complaint.
14 Then you frighten me with dreams.
You 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.
Let me alone. My days have no meaning.
17 “Why do you make man so important?
Why do you give him so much attention?
18 Will you examine him every morning?
Why do you test him every moment?
19 Will you never look away from me?
Will you not let me alone even long enough to swallow?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
you watcher of men?
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 and die.
You will search for me, but I will be no more.”
God’s Law Cannot Be Changed
14 The Pharisees were listening to all these things. They made fun of Jesus because they all loved money. 15 Jesus said to them, “You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. The things that are important to people are worth nothing to God.
16 “God wanted the people to live by the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. But ever since John[a] came, the Good News about the kingdom of God is being told. Now everyone is trying hard to get into the kingdom. 17 Even the smallest part of a letter in the law cannot be changed. It would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away.
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, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.