Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
12 At that time[a] you will say:
“I praise you, O Lord,
for even though you were angry with me,
your anger subsided, and you consoled me.
2 Look, God is my deliverer![b]
I will trust in him[c] and not fear.
For the Lord gives me strength and protects me;[d]
he has become my deliverer.”[e]
3 Joyfully you will draw water
from the springs of deliverance.[f]
4 At that time[g] you will say:
“Praise the Lord!
Ask him for help![h]
Publicize his mighty acts among the nations.
Make it known that he is unique.[i]
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done magnificent things;
let this be known[j] throughout the earth.
6 Cry out and shout for joy, O citizens of Zion,
for the Holy One of Israel[k] acts mightily[l] among you!”
Injustice Brings Alienation from God
59 Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak[a] to deliver you;
his ear is not too deaf to hear you.[b]
2 But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God;
your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.[c]
3 For your hands are stained with blood
and your fingers with sin;
your lips speak lies,
your tongue utters malicious words.
4 No one is concerned about justice;[d]
no one sets forth his case truthfully.
They depend on false words[e] and tell lies;
they conceive of oppression[f]
and give birth to sin.
5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake
and spin a spider’s web.
Whoever eats their eggs will die,
a poisonous snake is hatched.[g]
6 Their webs cannot be used for clothing;
they cannot cover themselves with what they make.
Their deeds are sinful;
they commit violent crimes.[h]
7 They are eager to do evil,[i]
quick to shed innocent blood.[j]
Their thoughts are sinful;
they crush and destroy.[k]
8 They are unfamiliar with peace;
their deeds are unjust.[l]
They use deceitful methods,
and whoever deals with them is unfamiliar with peace.[m]
Israel Confesses its Sin
9 For this reason deliverance[n] is far from us[o]
and salvation does not reach us.
We wait for light,[p] but see only darkness;[q]
we wait for[r] a bright light,[s] but live[t] in deep darkness.[u]
10 We grope along the wall like the blind,
we grope like those who cannot see;[v]
we stumble at noontime as if it were evening.
Though others are strong, we are like dead men.[w]
11 We all growl like bears,
we coo mournfully like doves;
we wait for deliverance,[x] but there is none,
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For you are aware of our many rebellious deeds,[y]
and our sins testify against us;
indeed, we are aware of our rebellious deeds;
we know our sins all too well.[z]
13 We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord;
we turned back from following our God.
We stir up[aa] oppression and rebellion;
we tell lies we concocted in our minds.[ab]
14 Justice is driven back;
godliness[ac] stands far off.
Indeed,[ad] honesty stumbles in the city square
and morality is not even able to enter.
15 Honesty has disappeared;
the one who tries to avoid evil is robbed.
The Lord watches and is displeased,[ae]
for there is no justice.
Thanksgiving
3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters,[a] and rightly so,[b] because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater. 4 As a result we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions you are enduring.
Encouragement in Persecution
5 This is evidence of God’s righteous judgment, to make you worthy[c] of the kingdom of God, for which in fact you are suffering. 6 For it is right[d] for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed[e] from heaven with his mighty angels.[f] 8 With flaming fire he will mete out[g] punishment on those who do not know God[h] and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They[i] will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,[j] 10 when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired[k] on that day among all who have believed—and you did in fact believe our testimony.[l] 11 And in this regard we pray for you always, that our God will make you worthy of his calling[m] and fulfill by his power your every desire for goodness and every work of faith, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to[n] the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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