Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Consoling Memory of God’s Redemptive Works
To the Chief Musician. (A)To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
77 I cried out to God with my voice—
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit [a]makes diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?
8 Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His (B)promise failed [b]forevermore?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah
10 And I said, “This is my [c]anguish;
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11 I will remember the works of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is in [d]the (C)sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
14 You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were (D)afraid;
The depths also trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
20 You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
9 “You(A) saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
And (B)heard their cry by the Red Sea.
10 You (C)showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
Against all his servants,
And against all the people of his land.
For You knew that they (D)acted [a]proudly against them.
So You (E)made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.
11 (F)And You divided the sea before them,
So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
(G)As a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Moreover You (H)led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
And by night with a pillar of fire,
To give them light on the road
Which they should travel.
13 “You(I) came down also on Mount Sinai,
And spoke with them from heaven,
And gave them (J)just ordinances and true laws,
Good statutes and commandments.
14 You made known to them Your (K)holy Sabbath,
And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
By the hand of Moses Your servant.
15 You (L)gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
And (M)brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
And told them to (N)go in to possess the land
Which You had [b]sworn to give them.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another [a]anymore, but rather resolve this, (A)not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
The Law of Love
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus (B)that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. (C)Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 (D)Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 (E)for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and (F)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in [b]these things (G)is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 (H)Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which (I)one may [c]edify another. 20 (J)Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. (K)All things indeed are pure, (L)but it is evil for the man who eats with [d]offense. 21 It is good neither to eat (M)meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles [e]or is offended or is made weak. 22 [f]Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. (N)Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for (O)whatever is not from faith is [g]sin.
Bearing Others’ Burdens
15 We (P)then who are strong ought to bear with the [h]scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 (Q)Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to [i]edification.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.