Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Job Says He Longs for God
23 Then Job answered and said,
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“Even today my complaint is contentious;
His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
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“Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might [even] come to His seat!
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“I would present my cause before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.
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“I would learn the words which He would answer,
And understand what He would say to me.
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“Would He contend against me with His great power?
No, surely He would give attention to me.(A)
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“There the righteous and upright could reason with Him;
So I would be acquitted forever by my Judge.
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“Behold, I go forward (to the east), but He is not there;
I go backward (to the west), but I cannot perceive Him;
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To the left (north) He turns, but I cannot behold Him;
He turns to the right hand (south), but I cannot see Him.
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“For God has made my heart faint,
And the Almighty has terrified me,
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But I am not silenced by the darkness [of these woes that fell on me],
Nor by the thick darkness which covers my face.
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)
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O my God, I call out by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but I find no rest nor quiet.
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But You are holy,
O You who are enthroned in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered].
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In You our fathers trusted [leaned on, relied on, and were confident];
They trusted and You rescued them.
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They cried out to You and were delivered;
They trusted in You and were not disappointed or ashamed.
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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)
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All who see me laugh at me and mock me;
They [insultingly] open their lips, they shake their head, saying,(C)
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“He trusted and committed himself to the Lord, let Him save him.
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”(D)
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Yet You are He who pulled me out of the womb;
You made me trust when on my mother’s breasts.
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I was cast upon You from birth;
From my mother’s womb You have been my God.
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Do not be far from me, for trouble is near;
And there is no one to help.
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Many [enemies like] bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.(E)
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They open wide their mouths against me,
Like a ravening and a roaring lion.
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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.
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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)
12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged [a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the [b]soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.
14 Inasmuch then as we [believers] have a great High Priest who has [already ascended and] passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior]. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].
The Rich Young Ruler
17 As He was leaving on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, “Good Teacher [You who are essentially good and morally perfect], what shall I do to inherit eternal life [that is, eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?”(A) 18 Jesus said to him, “[a]Why do you call Me good? No one is [essentially] good [by nature] except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not testify falsely, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’”(B) 20 And he replied to Him, “Teacher, I have [carefully] kept all these [commandments] since my [b]youth.” 21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love (high regard, compassion) for him, and He said to him, “You lack one thing: go and sell all your property and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have [abundant] treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me [becoming My disciple, believing and trusting in Me and walking the same path of life that I walk].” 22 But the man was saddened at Jesus’ words, and he left grieving, because he owned much property and had many possessions [which he treasured more than his relationship with God].
23 Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who are wealthy [and cling to possessions and status as security] to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were [c]amazed and bewildered by His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is [for those who place their hope and confidence in riches] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were completely and utterly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved [from the wrath of God]?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
28 Peter started saying to Him, “Look, we have given up everything and followed You [becoming Your disciples and accepting You as Teacher and Lord].” 29 Jesus said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there is no one who has given up a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms—along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.