Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

^2 [c]Give ear to my prayer, O God,
    do not ignore my supplication.
³ Listen to my cry and answer me,
    for my troubles afford me no peace.
⁴ I am terrified by the shouts of the enemy
    and the uproar of the wicked.
For they inflict troubles upon me,
    and in their anger they revile me.
^5 [d]My heart^[e] is filled with anguish,
    and I am beset by the terrors of death.
⁶ Fear and trembling overpower me;
    horror overwhelms me.
⁷ I say, “If only I had wings like a dove
    so that I could fly away and be at rest!
⁸ I would flee away
    and seek shelter in the wilderness. Selah
⁹ I would hurry to a place of refuge,
    far from the savage wind and tempest.”
^10 [f]Restrain the wicked, O Lord, and confound their speech,^[g]
    for I see violence and strife in the city.
¹¹ Day and night they make their rounds on its walls,
    and within it are iniquity and malice.
¹² Destruction is also in its midst;
    oppression and treachery pervade its streets.
^13 [h]If it was an enemy who reviled me,
    I could endure that.
If a foe had treated me with contempt,
    I could manage to avoid him.
¹⁴ But it was you, one like myself,
    a companion and a dear friend,
¹⁵ with whom I engaged in pleasant conversation
    as we walked with the festive throng
    in the house of God.

² “Should we allow this torrent of words to go unanswered?
    Is a clever speaker always to be considered right?
³ Should your endless talk reduce others to silence?
    When you mock, is no one allowed to refute you?
⁴ For you said, ‘My judgments are irrefutable
    and I am blameless in the sight of God.’
⁵ Oh, how I wish that God would speak
    and open his lips to contradict your opinions
⁶ while revealing to you the secrets of wisdom,
    which puts human intelligence to shame.
Thus, you might know
    that God will call you to account for your sin.
⁷ “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
    Can you attain to the perfection of the Almighty?
⁸ It is higher than the heavens—what can you do?
    It is deeper than the netherworld—what can you know?
⁹ Its measure is longer than the earth
    and broader than the sea.
¹⁰ “If while passing by he decides to imprison you
    or subject you to judgment, who can prevent him?
¹¹ He surely recognizes the deceitful;
    he will hardly ignore their iniquity.
¹² An ignorant fool can no more gain understanding
    than a wild donkey can be domesticated.

¹³ “However, if you will have a change of heart
    and stretch out your hands toward him in prayer,
¹⁴ if you banish all iniquity far away from you
    and do not allow wickedness to penetrate your tent,
¹⁵ you will then be able to lift up your face in innocence;
    you will be unwavering and without fear.
¹⁶ You will then forget your wretchedness,
    remembering it only as flood waters gone by.
¹⁷ “Then your life will be brighter than noonday,
    and its darkness will be like morning.
¹⁸ You will be filled with confidence because there is hope;
    you will look around and take your rest in safety.
¹⁹ You will lie down without fearing anyone,
    and many will seek your favor.
²⁰ But the eyes of the wicked will fail;
    for them all the ways of escape will be closed,
    and all they can hope for is death.”