Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord Implored to Avenge His People.
94 O Lord, God of [a](A)vengeance,
God of [b]vengeance, [c](B)shine forth!
2 (C)Rise up, O (D)Judge of the earth,
Render recompense (E)to the proud.
3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord,
How long shall the (F)wicked exult?
4 They pour forth words, they (G)speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness (H)vaunt themselves.
5 They (I)crush Your people, O Lord,
And (J)afflict Your heritage.
6 They (K)slay the widow and the [d]stranger
And murder the orphans.
7 (L)They have said, “[e]The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”
8 Pay heed, you (M)senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, (N)stupid ones?
9 He who (O)planted the ear, [f]does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, [g]does He not see?
10 He who [h](P)chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who (Q)teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord (R)knows the thoughts of man,
[i]That they are a mere breath.
12 Blessed is the man whom (S)You chasten, O [j]Lord,
And (T)whom You teach out of Your law;
13 That You may grant him (U)relief from the (V)days of adversity,
Until (W)a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For (X)the Lord will not abandon His people,
Nor will He (Y)forsake His inheritance.
15 For [k](Z)judgment [l]will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart [m]will follow it.
16 Who will (AA)stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me (AB)against those who do wickedness?
17 If (AC)the Lord had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, “(AD)My foot has slipped,”
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.
19 When my anxious thoughts [n]multiply within me,
Your (AE)consolations delight my soul.
20 Can a [o](AF)throne of destruction be allied with You,
One (AG)which devises [p]mischief by decree?
21 They (AH)band themselves together against the [q]life of the righteous
And (AI)condemn [r]the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has been my (AJ)stronghold,
And my God the (AK)rock of my refuge.
23 He has (AL)brought back their wickedness upon them
And will [s](AM)destroy them in their evil;
The Lord our God will [t]destroy them.
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not make you a complete destruction. 19 It shall come about (A)when [a]they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will (B)serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Now hear this, O foolish and [b]senseless people,
Who have (C)eyes but do not see;
Who have ears but do not hear.
22 ‘Do you not (D)fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have (E)placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
23 ‘But this people has a (F)stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.
24 ‘They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who (G)gives rain in its season,
Both (H)the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The (I)appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 ‘Your (J)iniquities have turned these away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
26 ‘For wicked men are found among My people,
They (K)watch like fowlers [c]lying in wait;
They set a trap,
They catch men.
27 ‘Like a cage full of birds,
So their houses are full of (L)deceit;
Therefore they have become great and rich.
28 ‘They are (M)fat, they are sleek,
They also [d]excel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the [e](N)orphan, that they may prosper;
And they do not [f]defend the rights of the poor.
29 ‘(O)Shall I not punish [g]these people?’ declares the Lord,
‘On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?’
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, (A)beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and (B)a thousand years like one day. 9 (C)The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but (D)is patient toward you, (E)not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
A New Heaven and Earth
10 But (F)the day of the Lord (G)will come like a thief, in which (H)the heavens (I)will pass away with a roar and the (J)elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and (K)the earth and [a]its works will be [b]burned up.
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 (L)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which (M)the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the (N)elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His (O)promise we are looking for (P)new heavens and a new earth, (Q)in which righteousness dwells.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.