Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.
To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] Aijeleth Hashshahar (The Doe of the Dawn). A Psalm of David.
22 [a]My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?(A)
2
O my God, I call out by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but I find no rest nor quiet.
3
But You are holy,
O You who are enthroned in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered].
4
In You our fathers trusted [leaned on, relied on, and were confident];
They trusted and You rescued them.
5
They cried out to You and were delivered;
They trusted in You and were not disappointed or ashamed.
6
But I am [treated as] a worm [insignificant and powerless] and not a man;
I am the scorn of men and despised by the people.(B)
7
All who see me laugh at me and mock me;
They [insultingly] open their lips, they shake their head, saying,(C)
8
“He trusted and committed himself to the Lord, let Him save him.
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”(D)
9
Yet You are He who pulled me out of the womb;
You made me trust when on my mother’s breasts.
10
I was cast upon You from birth;
From my mother’s womb You have been my God.
11
Do not be far from me, for trouble is near;
And there is no one to help.
12
Many [enemies like] bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.(E)
13
They open wide their mouths against me,
Like a ravening and a roaring lion.
14
I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax;
It is melted [by anguish] within me.
15
My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery;
And my [dry] tongue clings to my jaws;
And You have laid me in the dust of death.(F)
Zophar Says, “The Triumph of the Wicked Is Short”
20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
2
“Therefore my disquieting thoughts make me answer,
Because of the uneasiness that is within me.
3
“I have heard the reproof which insults me,
But the spirit of my understanding makes me answer.
4
“Do you not know this from the old days,
Since the time that man was placed on the earth,
5
That the triumphing of the wicked is short,
And the joy of the godless is only for a moment?(A)
6
“Though his pride reaches the heavens
And his head touches the clouds,
7
Yet he perishes forever like his own refuse;
Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8
“He flies away like a dream and cannot be found;
Yes, he is chased away like a vision of the night.
9
“The eye which saw him sees him no longer,
Neither does his [accustomed] place behold him any longer.
10
“His sons favor the poor [and pay his obligations],
And his hands give back his [ill-gotten] wealth.
11
“His bones are full of youthful strength
But it lies down with him in the dust.
12
“Though evil and wickedness are sweet in his mouth
And he hides it under his tongue,
13
Though he desires it and will not let it go
But holds it in his mouth,
14
Yet his food turns [to poison] in his stomach;
It is the venom of vipers within him.
15
“He swallows [his ill-gotten] riches,
But will vomit them up;
God will drive them out of his belly.
16
“He sucks the poison of vipers [which ill-gotten wealth contains];
The viper’s tongue slays him.
17
“He does not look at the rivers,
The flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth].
18
“He gives back what he has labored for and attained
And cannot swallow it [down to enjoy it];
As to the riches of his labor,
He cannot even enjoy them.
19
“For he has oppressed and neglected the poor;
He has violently taken away houses which he did not build.
20
“Because he knew no quietness or calm within him [because of his greed],
He does not retain anything he desires.
21
“There is nothing left of what he devoured;
Therefore his prosperity does not endure.
22
“In the fullness of his excess (great abundance) he will be in trouble;
The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him [he is miserable on every side].
23
“When he fills his belly,
God will send His fierce anger on him
And will rain it upon him while he is eating.(B)
24
“He may flee from the iron weapon,
But the bow of bronze will pierce him through.
25
“The arrow is drawn forth and it comes out of his back [after passing through his body];
Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall.
Terrors march in upon him;
26
Complete darkness (misfortune) is held in reserve for his treasures.
An unfanned fire will devour him;
It will consume the survivor in his tent.
27
“The heavens will reveal his wickedness and guilt,
And the earth will rise up against him.
28
“The produce and increase of his house will depart [with the victors];
His possessions will be dragged away in the day of God’s wrath.
29
“This is the wicked man’s portion from God,
And the heritage decreed and appointed to him by God.”
Tradition and Commandment
15 Then some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus and said, 2 “Why do Your disciples violate the [a]tradition (religious laws) handed down by the [Jewish] elders? For Your disciples do not [ceremonially] wash their hands before they eat.” 3 He replied to them, “Why also do you violate the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition [handed down by the elders]? 4 For God said [through Moses], ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of or insults or treats improperly father or mother is to be put to death.’(A) 5 But you say, ‘If anyone says to his father or mother, “Whatever [money or resource that] I have that would help you is [already dedicated and] given to God,” 6 he is not to honor his father or his mother [by helping them with their need].’ So by this you have invalidated the word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect] for the sake of your tradition [handed down by the elders]. 7 You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders), rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said,
8
‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9
‘But in vain do they worship Me,
For they teach as doctrines the precepts of men.’”(B)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.