Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
To the Director: To Jeduthun. A Davidic Psalm.
A Prayer about Life’s Priorities
39 I told myself, “I will keep watch over my tongue to keep from sinning.
I will muzzle my mouth when the wicked are around.”
2 I was as silent as a mute person;
I said nothing, not even something good,
and my distress deepened.
3 My heart within me became incensed;[a]
as I thought about it, the fire burned.
Then I[b] spoke out:
4 “Lord, let me know how my life ends,[c]
and the standard by which you will measure[d] my days, whatever it is!
Then I will know how transient my life is.
5 Look, you have made my life span fit in your hand;
It is nothing compared to yours.
Surely every person at their best is a puff of wind.
6 In fact, people walk around as shadows.
Surely, they busy themselves for nothing,
heaping up possessions but not knowing who will get them.
7 How long, Lord, will I wait expectantly?
I have placed my hope in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions,
and do not let fools scorn me.”
9 I remain silent;
I do not open my mouth,
for you are the one who acted.
10 Stop scourging me,
since I have been crushed by your heavy hand.
11 You rebuke by chastening a man with the consequence of iniquities;
you destroy what is attractive to him, as one would treat a moth.
Indeed, every person is a puff of wind.
12 Hear my prayer, Lord,
pay attention to my cry,
and do not ignore my tears.
I am an alien in your presence,
a stranger just like my ancestors were.
13 Stop looking at me with chastisement,[e] so I can smile again,
before I depart and am no more.
Wisdom is of Greater Value than Precious Stones
12 “Where can wisdom be found?
Where is understanding’s home?
13 Mankind doesn’t appreciate their value;
and you won’t find it anywhere on earth.[a]
14 The deepest ocean says, ‘It’s not within me.’
and the sea says, ‘You’ll never find it with me.’
15 You can’t buy it with gold,
and its value cannot be calculated in silver.
16 It cannot be compared to gold from Ophir,[b]
with precious onyx, or with sapphire.
17 It cannot be compared to gold and fine glass[c] crystal,
nor can it be exchanged for gold-plated weaponry.[d]
18 Don’t even bother to mention coral and crystal—
wisdom is more valuable than a bag of rubies.[e]
19 It can neither be compared with the topaz of Ethiopia
nor valued in comparison to pure gold.”
Wisdom is from God
20 “From where, then, does wisdom originate?
Where does understanding live?[f]
21 It has been concealed from the sight of every living creature
and hidden even from the birds in the skies.
22 Abaddon[g] and death said,
‘We did hear a rumor about it.’
23 God understands how to get there;
he knows where they live.[h]
24 For he looks as far as the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the sky.[i]
25 “He imparted weight to the wind;
he regulated water by his measurement.
26 He set in place ordinances for the rain;
and determined the pathway for thunder that accompanies lightning.[j]
27 Then he looked at wisdom,
and fixed it in place;
he established it,
and also examined it.
28 He has commanded mankind:
‘To fear the Lord—that is wisdom;
to move away from evil—that is understanding.’”
Job Wishes for the Old Days
29 Then Job continued with his discourse:
2 “I wish I could go back to how things were a few months ago;
when God used to watch over me,
3 when his lamp used to shine over my head,
so I could walk through the dark,
4 like when I was in my prime
and God trusted me with his secrets![k]
5 “The Almighty was still with me back then,
and my children were still around me.
6 I was successful wherever I went,[l]
and even the rocks poured out streams of olive oil for me.”
Job Remembers His Respected Position
7 “Whenever I went out to the city gate,
a seat had been reserved for me in the plaza.[m]
8 The young men would see me and withdraw,
and the aged would rise and stand.
9 Nobles would refrain from speaking,
covering their mouths with their hands.
10 The voices of the commanders-in-chief[n] were hushed,
and their tongues would cling to the roofs of their mouths.”
The Vision of the Seventh Seal Opened
8 When the lamb[a] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
The Vision of Seven Angels Given Seven Trumpets
2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand in God’s presence, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 Another angel came with a gold censer and stood at the altar. He was given a large quantity of incense to offer on the gold altar before the throne, along with the prayers of all the saints. 4 The smoke from the incense and the prayers of the saints went up from the angel’s hand to God. 5 The angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth. Then there were peals of thunder, noises, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.