Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.
To the Chief Musician; with stringed instruments. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem, of David.
55 Listen to my prayer, O God,
And do not hide Yourself from my plea.
2
Listen to me and answer me;
I am restless and distraught in my complaint and distracted
3
Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the pressure of the wicked;
For they bring down trouble on me,
And in anger they persecute me.
4
My heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5
Fear and trembling have come upon me;
Horror has overwhelmed me.
6
And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7
“I would wander far away,
I would lodge in the [peace of the] wilderness. Selah.
8
“I would hurry to my refuge [my tranquil shelter far away]
From the stormy wind and from the tempest.”
9
[a]Confuse [my enemies], O Lord, divide their tongues [destroying their schemes],
For I have seen violence and strife in the city.
10
Day and night they go around her walls;
Wickedness and mischief are in her midst.
11
Destruction is within her;
Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets and market places.
12
For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who has hated me who insolently exalts himself against me—
Then I could hide from him.
13
But it is you, a man my equal and my counsel,
My companion and my familiar friend;
14
We who had sweet [b]fellowship together,
Who walked to the house of God in company.
15
Let death come deceitfully upon them;
Let them go down alive to Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead),
For evil [of every kind] is in their dwelling and in their hearts, in their midst.
Bildad Says God Rewards the Good
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,
2
“How long will you say these things?
And will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3
“Does God pervert justice?
Or does [a]the Almighty pervert righteousness?
4
“If your children have sinned against Him,
Then He has handed them over to the power of their transgression and punished them.
5
“If you would [diligently] seek God
And implore the compassion and favor of the Almighty,
6
Then, if you are pure and upright,
Surely now He will awaken for you
And restore your righteous place.
7
“Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your end will greatly increase.
8
“Inquire, please, of past generations,
And consider and apply yourself to the things searched out by their fathers.
9
“For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because our days on earth are [like] a shadow [just a breath or a vapor].
10
“Will they (the fathers) not teach you and tell you,
And utter words from their hearts [the deepest part of their nature]?
11
“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes or reed grass grow without water?
12
“While it is still green (in flower) and not cut down,
Yet it withers before any other plant [when without water].
13
“So are the paths of all who forget God;
And the hope of the godless will perish,
14
For his confidence is fragile and breaks,
And his trust is [like] a spider’s web.
15
“He trusts in his house, but it does not stand;
He holds tightly to it, but it does not endure.
16
“He thrives and prospers [like a green plant] before the sun,
And his branches spread out over his garden.
17
“His [godless] roots are wrapped around a pile of rocks,
And he gazes at a house of stones.
18
“If he is snatched from his place [in the garden],
Then his place will forget him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’
19
“Behold, this is the joy of His way;
And from out of the dust others will spring up and grow [to take his place].
20
“Behold, God will not reject a man of integrity,
Nor will He strengthen or support evildoers.
21
“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
And your lips with joyful shouting [if you are found blameless].
22
“Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
And the tents of the wicked will be no longer.”
Teaching on Marriage
7 Now as to the matters of which you wrote: It is good (beneficial, advantageous) for a man not to touch a woman [outside marriage]. 2 But because of [the temptation to participate in] sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. 3 The husband must fulfill his [marital] duty to his wife [with good will and kindness], and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have [exclusive] authority over her own body, but the husband shares with her; and likewise the husband does not have [exclusive] authority over his body, but the wife shares with him. 5 Do not deprive each other [of marital rights], except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves [unhindered] to prayer, but come together again so that Satan will not tempt you [to sin] because of your lack of self-control. 6 But I am saying this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all the people were as I am; but each person has his own gift from God, one of this kind and one of that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, [that as a practical matter] it is good if they remain [single and entirely devoted to the Lord] [a]as I am. 9 But if they do not have [sufficient] self-control, they should marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.