Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Abases the Proud, but Exalts the Righteous.
To the Chief Musician; set to [the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
75 We give thanks and praise to You, O God, we give thanks,
For Your [wonderful works declare that Your] [a]name is near;
People declare Your wonders.
2
“When I select an appointed time,
I will judge with equity,” [says the Lord].
3
“The earth and all the inhabitants of it melt [in tumultuous times].
It is I who will steady its pillars. Selah.
4
“I said to the arrogant, ‘Do not boast;’
And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn [of self-glorification].
5
‘Do not lift up your [defiant and aggressive] horn on high,
Do not speak with a stiff neck.’”
6
For not from the east, nor from the west,
Nor from the desert comes exaltation.(A)
7
But God is the Judge;
He puts down one and lifts up another.
8
For a cup [of His wrath] is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;
It is well mixed and fully spiced, and He pours out from it;
And all the wicked of the earth must drain it and drink down to its dregs.(B)
9
But as for me, I will declare it and rejoice forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10
All the horns of the wicked He will cut off,
But the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.
12
“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Nor his mighty strength, nor his orderly frame.
13
“Who can penetrate or strip off his outer armor?
Who can come to his jaws with a double bridle?
14
“Who can open the doors (jaws) of his face?
Around his [open jaws and] teeth there is terror.
15
“His strong scales are his pride,
Bound together as with a tight seal.
16
“One is so near to another
That no air can come between them.
17
“They are joined one to another;
They stick together and cannot be separated.
18
“His sneezes flash forth light,
And his eyes are like the [reddish] eyelids of the dawn.
19
“Out of his mouth go burning torches,
And sparks of fire leap out.
20
“Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth
As from a boiling pot and [as from] burning rushes.
21
“His breath kindles coals,
And a flame goes forth from his mouth.
22
“In Leviathan’s neck resides strength,
And dismay and terror dance before him.
23
“The folds of his flesh are joined together,
Firm on him and immobile [when he moves].
24
“His heart is as hard as a stone,
Indeed, as solid as a lower millstone.
25
“When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.
26
“The sword that reaches him cannot avail,
Nor [does] the spear, the dart, or the javelin.
27
“He considers iron as straw,
Bronze as rotten wood.
28
“The arrow cannot make him flee;
Slingstones are treated as stubble by him.
29
“Clubs [also] are regarded as stubble;
He laughs at the rushing and the rattling of the javelin.
30
“His underparts are like sharp pieces of broken pottery;
He moves across and spreads out [grooves] like a threshing sledge on the mire (muddy river banks).
31
“He makes the deep water boil like a pot;
He makes the sea like a [foaming] pot of ointment.
32
“Behind him he makes a shining wake;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired [with foam].
33
“Upon earth there is nothing like him—no equal exists,
A creature made without fear.
34
“He looks on everything that is high [without terror];
He is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, [a]who are you who does not dare to disturb the beast, yet who dares resist Me, the beast’s creator? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]”
The Lord’s Supper
13 Now before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that His hour had come [and it was time] for Him to leave this world and return to the Father. Having [greatly] loved His own who were in the world, He loved them [and continuously loves them with His perfect love] to the end (eternally). 2 It was during supper, when the devil had already put [the thought of] betraying Jesus into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, 3 that Jesus, knowing that the Father had put everything into His hands, and that He had come from God and was [now] returning to God, 4 got up from supper, took off His [outer] robe, and taking a [servant’s] towel, He tied it around His waist.
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
5 Then He poured water into the basin and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which was tied around His waist. 6 When He came to Simon Peter, he said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied to him, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but you will [fully] understand it later.” 8 Peter said to Him, “You will never wash my feet!” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me [we can have nothing to do with each other].” 9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, [in that case, wash] not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “Anyone who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, and is completely clean. And you [My disciples] are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who was going to betray Him; for that reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 So when He had washed their feet and put on His [outer] robe and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done for you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right in doing so, for that is who I am. 14 So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet as well. 15 For I gave you [this as] an example, so that you should do [in turn] as I did to you. 16 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed [happy and favored by God] if you put them into practice [and faithfully do them].
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.