Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK 3
The End of the Wicked Contrasted with That of the Righteous.
A Psalm of Asaph.
73 God certainly is (A)good to Israel,
To those who are (B)pure in heart!
2 But as for me, (C)my feet came close to stumbling,
My steps [a]had almost slipped.
3 For I was (D)envious of the [b]arrogant
As I saw the (E)prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains in their death,
And their belly is fat.
5 They are (F)not [c]in trouble like other people,
Nor are they (G)tormented together with the rest of mankind.
6 Therefore arrogance is (H)their necklace;
The (I)garment of violence covers them.
7 Their eye [d]bulges from (J)fatness;
The imaginations of their heart overflow.
8 They (K)mock and [e]wickedly speak of oppression;
They (L)speak from on high.
9 They have (M)set their mouth [f]against the heavens,
And their tongue [g]parades through the earth.
10 Therefore [h]his people return here,
And (N)abundant waters are drunk by them.
11 They say, “(O)How does God know?
And is there knowledge [i]with the Most High?”
12 Behold, (P)these are the wicked;
And always (Q)at ease, they have increased in wealth.
13 Surely (R)in vain I have [j]kept my heart pure
And (S)washed my hands in innocence;
14 For I have been stricken (T)all day long,
And [k](U)punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will speak this way,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the (V)generation of Your children.
16 When I (W)thought of understanding this,
It was [l]troublesome in my sight
17 Until I entered the [m](X)sanctuary of God;
Then I perceived their (Y)end.
18 You indeed put them on (Z)slippery ground;
You dropped them into [n](AA)ruin.
19 How they are [o](AB)destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by (AC)sudden terrors!
20 Like a (AD)dream when one awakes,
Lord, when (AE)stirred, You will (AF)despise their image.
32 “Now then, sons, (A)listen to me,
For (B)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 (C)Listen to instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34 (D)Blessed is the person who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
35 For (E)one who finds me finds life,
And (F)obtains favor from the Lord.
36 But one who [a]sins against me (G)injures himself;
All those who (H)hate me (I)love death.”
Wisdom’s Invitation
9 Wisdom has (J)built her house,
She has carved out her seven pillars;
2 She has [b](K)prepared her food, she has (L)mixed her wine;
She has also (M)set her table;
3 She has (N)sent out her attendants, she (O)calls out
From the (P)tops of the heights of the city:
4 “(Q)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who (R)lacks [c]understanding she says,
5 “Come, (S)eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 [d]Abandon your foolishness and (T)live,
And (U)proceed in the way of understanding.”
29 By faith they (A)passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were [a]drowned.
30 By faith (B)the walls of Jericho fell down [b](C)after the Israelites had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute (D)Rahab did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies [c]in peace.
32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of (E)Gideon, (F)Barak, (G)Samson, (H)Jephthah, of (I)David and (J)Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith (K)conquered kingdoms, (L)performed acts of righteousness, (M)obtained promises, (N)shut the mouths of lions, 34 (O)quenched the power of fire, (P)escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, (Q)became mighty in war, (R)put foreign armies to flight. 35 (S)Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their [d]release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others [e]experienced mocking and flogging, and further, (T)chains and imprisonment. 37 They were (U)stoned, they were sawn in two, [f]they were tempted, they were (V)put to death with the sword; they went about (W)in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, (X)tormented 38 (people of whom the world was not worthy), (Y)wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes [g]in the ground.
39 And all these, having (Z)gained approval through their faith, (AA)did not receive [h]what was promised, 40 because God had [i]provided (AB)something better for us, so that (AC)apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Jesus, the Example
12 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s (AD)rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s (AE)run with (AF)endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking only at Jesus, the [j](AG)originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him (AH)endured the cross, (AI)despising the shame, and has (AJ)sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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