Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
To the director: With instruments. A maskil of David.
55 God, hear my prayer.
Don’t ignore my cry for help.
2 Please listen and answer me.
Let me speak to you and tell you what upsets me.
3 My enemies shout at me and threaten me.
In their anger they attack me.
They bring troubles crashing down on me.
4 My heart is pounding inside me.
I am afraid to die.
5 I am trembling with fear.
I am terrified!
6 Oh, I wish I had wings like a dove.
I would fly away and find a place to rest.
7 I would go far into the desert and stay there. Selah
8 I would run away.
I would escape from this storm of trouble.
9 My Lord, confuse their words and stop their plans.
I see so much cruelty and fighting in this city.
10 Day and night, in every neighborhood,
the city is filled with evil and trouble.
11 There is so much crime in the streets.
People who hurt and cheat others are everywhere.
12 If it were an enemy insulting me,
I could bear it.
If it were my enemies attacking me,
I could hide.
13 But it is you, the one so close to me,
my companion, my good friend, who does this.
14 We used to share our secrets with one another,
as we walked through the crowds together in God’s Temple.
15 I wish death would take my enemies by surprise!
I wish the earth would open up and swallow them alive,[a]
because they plan such terrible things together.
Zophar Speaks to Job
11 Then Zophar from Naamah answered Job and said,
2 “This flood of words should be answered!
Does all this talking make Job right?
3 Do you think we don’t have
an answer for you?
Do you think no one will warn you
when you laugh at God?
4 You say to God,
‘My arguments are right,
and you can see I am pure.’
5 I wish God would answer you
and tell you that you are wrong.
6 He could tell you the secret of wisdom.
He would tell you that every story has two sides.
You can be sure of this:
God is not punishing you as much as he should.
7 “Do you think you really understand God?
Do you completely understand God All-Powerful?
8 That knowledge is higher than the heavens
and deeper than the place of death.
So what can you do?
How can you learn it all?
9 It is greater than the earth
and bigger than the seas.
10 “If God decides to arrest you and take you to court,
no one could stop him.
11 God knows who is worthless.
When he sees evil, he remembers it.
12 A wild donkey cannot give birth to a man,
and a stupid person will never become wise.
13 Prepare your heart to serve only God.
Lift your arms and pray to him.
14 Put away the sin that you still hold on to.
Don’t keep evil in your tent.
15 If you will do that, you could look to God without shame.
You can stand strong and not be afraid.
16 Then you can forget your troubles,
like water that has already passed by.
17 Your life will be brighter than the sunshine at noon.
Life’s darkest hours will shine like the morning sun.
18 You will feel safe because there is hope.
God will protect you and give you rest.
19 You will lie down without fear of anyone.
Many people will come to you for help.
20 Evil people might look for help,
but they will not escape their troubles.
Their hope leads only to death.”
10 Now, I have a command for those who are married. Actually, it is not from me; it is what the Lord commanded. A wife should not leave her husband. 11 But if a wife does leave, she should remain single or get back together with her husband. And a husband should not divorce his wife.
12 The advice I have for the others is from me. The Lord did not give us any teaching about this. If you have a wife who is not a believer, you should not divorce her if she will continue to live with you. 13 And if you have a husband who is not a believer, you should not divorce him if he will continue to live with you. 14 The husband who is not a believer is set apart for God through his believing wife. And the wife who is not a believer is set apart for God through her believing husband. If this were not true, your children would be unfit for God’s use. But now they are set apart for him.
15 But if the husband or wife who is not a believer decides to leave, let them leave. When this happens, the brother or sister in Christ is free. God chose you to have a life of peace. 16 Wives, maybe you will save your husband; and husbands, maybe you will save your wife. You don’t know now what will happen later.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International