Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Davidic Song, when he was in the cave.[a] A prayer.
A Call to God for Help
142 My voice cries out to the Lord;
my voice pleads for mercy to the Lord.
2 I pour out my complaint to him,
telling him all of my troubles.
3 Though my spirit grows faint within me,
you are aware of my path.
Wherever I go,
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 I look to my right[b] and observe—
no one is concerned about me.
There is nowhere I can go for refuge,
and no one cares for me.
5 So I cry to you, Lord,
declaring, “You are my refuge,
my only[c] possession while I am on this earth.”[d]
6 Pay attention to my cry,
for I have been brought very low.
Deliver me from my tormentors,
for they are far too strong for me.
7 Break me out of this prison,
so I can give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal generously with me.
Prophecies against Edom
7 To Edom:
This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel perished among the prudent?
Is their wisdom gone?
8 Flee, turn around!
Go to a remote place to stay,
residents of Dedan!
For I’ll bring Esau’s[a] disaster on him
at the time when I punish him.
9 If the grape harvesters came to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came at night, they would destroy
only until they had enough.
10 But I’ll strip Esau bare.
I’ll uncover his hiding places so he cannot conceal himself.
His offspring, his relatives,
and his neighbors will be destroyed,
and he will no longer exist.
11 Leave your orphans. I’ll keep them alive.
Let your widows trust in me.”
The Old Life and the New
17 Therefore, I tell you and insist on[a] in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts.[b] 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. 19 Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint. 20 However, that is not the way you came to know the Messiah.[c] 21 Surely you have listened to him and have been taught by him, since truth is in Jesus. 22 Regarding your former way of life, you were taught[d] to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires, 23 to be renewed in your mental attitude, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God’s image[e] in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Therefore, stripping off falsehood, “let each of us speak the truth to his neighbor,”[f] for we belong to one another. 26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.”[g] Do not let the sun set while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the Devil an opportunity to work.[h] 28 The thief must no longer steal but must work hard and do what is good with his own hands, so that he might earn something to give to the needy.
29 Let no filthy talk be heard from your mouths, but only what is good for building up people and meeting the need of the moment.[i] This way you will administer grace to those who hear you. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred. 32 And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you[j] in the Messiah.[k]
5 So be imitators of God, as his dear children. 2 Live lovingly, just as the Messiah[l] also loved us[m] and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God.
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