Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Good and the Sinful

73 For sure God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. ² But as for me, my feet came close to falling. My steps had almost tripped. ³ For I was jealous of the proud when I saw that all was going well with the sinful. ⁴ For they suffer no pain in their death, and their body is fat. ⁵ They do not have the troubles of other men or suffer like other men. ⁶ So they wear pride around their neck. Fighting covers them like a coat. ⁷ They are so fat that their eyes are pushed out. The crazy thoughts of their hearts run wild. ⁸ They laugh at the truth, and speak sinful things about making it hard for others. They speak from a high place. ⁹ They say bad things against heaven, and their tongue walks through the earth.

¹⁰ And so his people return to this place and drink water from a full cup. ¹¹ They say, “How does God know? Is there much learning with the Most High?”

¹² See, this is what the sinful are like. They always have it easy and their riches grow. ¹³ For no good reason I have kept my heart pure and have not sinned. ¹⁴ For I have suffered all day long. I have been punished every morning.

¹⁵ I would not have been true to Your children if I had spoken this way. ¹⁶ It was too hard for me when I tried to understand this, ¹⁷ until I went into the holy place of God. Then I understood their end. ¹⁸ For sure, You set the sinful in places where there is danger at every step. You throw them down to be destroyed. ¹⁹ How they are destroyed right away! They come to an end with much fear. ²⁰ Like a dream when one wakes up, so You will hate what they look like when You rise up, O Lord.

³² “So now, O sons, listen to me, for happy are they who keep my ways. ³³ Hear my teaching and be wise. Do not turn away from it. ³⁴ Happy is the man who listens to me, watching every day at my gates, waiting beside my doors. ³⁵ For he who finds me finds life, and gets favor from the Lord. ³⁶ But he who misses me hurts himself. All those who hate me love death.”

Wisdom—or the Way to Hell

9 Wisdom has built her house. She has made seven pillars to hold it up. ² She has cooked her food, and has mixed her wine, and she has set her table. ³ She has sent out the young women who work for her. She calls from the highest places of the city, ⁴ “Whoever is easy to fool, let him turn in here!” She says to the one without understanding, ⁵ “Come and eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. ⁶ Turn from your foolish way, and live. Walk in the way of understanding.”

²⁹ Because the Jews had faith, they went through the Red Sea as if they were on dry ground. But when the people of Egypt tried to go through, they were all killed by the water.

³⁰ Because the Jews had faith, the walls of the city of Jericho fell down after the Jews had walked around the city for seven days. ³¹ Because Rahab had faith, she was kept from being killed along with those who did not obey God. She was a woman who sold the use of her body. But she helped the men who had come in secret to look over the country.

There Were Many More Who Had Faith in God

³² What more should I say? There is not enough time to tell of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson and of Jephthah and of David and of Samuel and of the early preachers. ³³ It was because these people had faith that they won wars over other countries. They were good leaders. They received what God promised to them. They closed the mouths of lions ³⁴ and stopped fire that was burning. They got away from being killed with swords. They were made strong again after they had been weak and sick. They were strong in war. They made fighting men from other countries run home. ³⁵ It was because some women had faith that they received their dead back to life. Others chose to be beaten instead of being set free, because they would not turn against God. In this way, they would be raised to a better life. ³⁶ Others were talked against. Some were beaten. Some were put in chains and in prison. ³⁷ They were killed by stones being thrown at them. People were cut in pieces. They were tested. They were killed with swords. They wore skins of sheep and goats and had nothing they could call their own. They were hungry and sick. Everyone was bad to them. ³⁸ They walked around in deserts and in mountains. They looked for caves and holes in the earth to live in. They were too good for this world. ³⁹ It was because of their faith that God was pleased with them. But they did not receive what God had promised. ⁴⁰ God had planned something better for us. These men could not be made perfect without us.

Christ the Perfect One

12 All these many people who have had faith in God are around us like a cloud. Let us put every thing out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us. ² Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.