Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 7
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush,[b] a Benjaminite.
1 Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me(B)
2 or they[c] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.[d](C)
3 Yahweh my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[e] my adversary without cause,(F)
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)
6 Rise up, Lord, in Your anger;
lift Yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;(I)
awake for me;[f](J)
You have ordained[g] a judgment.(K)
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around You;(L)
take Your seat[h] on high over it.(M)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.[i](O)
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,(P)
but establish the righteous.(Q)
The One who examines the thoughts and emotions[j]
is a righteous God.(R)
10 My shield is with[k] God,(S)
who saves the upright in heart.(T)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows His wrath every day.(U)
12 If anyone does not repent,
God[l] will sharpen His sword;(V)
He has strung[m] His bow and made it ready.(W)
13 He has prepared His deadly weapons;
He tips His arrows with fire.(X)
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.(Y)
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.(Z)
16 His trouble comes back on his own head,
and his violence falls on the top of his head.(AA)
17 I will thank the Lord for His righteousness;
I will sing about the name of Yahweh the Most High.(AB)
God’s Discipline and Israel’s Apostasy
6 I gave you absolutely nothing to eat[a](A)
in all your cities,
a shortage of food in all your communities,
yet you did not return to Me.(B)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
7 I also withheld the rain from you(C)
while there were still three months until harvest.
I sent rain on one city
but no rain on another.(D)
One field received rain
while a field with no rain withered.(E)
8 Two or three cities staggered
to another city to drink water(F)
but were not satisfied,(G)
yet you did not return(H) to Me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
9 I struck you with blight and mildew;(I)
the locust devoured(J)
your many gardens and vineyards,
your fig trees and olive trees,(K)
yet you did not return to Me.(L)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
10 I sent plagues like those of Egypt;(M)
I killed your young men with the sword,(N)
along with your captured horses.(O)
I caused the stench of your camp
to fill your nostrils,(P)
yet you did not return to Me.(Q)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
11 I overthrew some of you
as I[b] overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,(R)
and you were like a burning stick
snatched from a fire,(S)
yet you did not return to Me(T)—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
12 Therefore, Israel, that is what I will do to you,
and since I will do that to you,
Israel, prepare to meet your God!(U)
13 He is here:
the One who forms the mountains,(V)
creates the wind,(W)
and reveals His[c] thoughts to man,(X)
the One who makes the dawn out of darkness
and strides on the heights of the earth.(Y)
Yahweh, the God of Hosts, is His name.(Z)
11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, 12 unlike Cain,(A) who was of the evil one(B) and murdered[a] his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates(C) you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.(D) 15 Everyone who hates his brother(E) is a murderer,(F) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
Love in Action
16 This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life(G) for us.(H) We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.(I) 17 If anyone has this world’s goods(J) and sees his brother in need(K) but closes his eyes(L) to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?(M)
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