Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Third Book—Psalms 73–89
Psalm 73[a]
The Trial of the Just
1 A psalm of Asaph.
How good God is to the upright,
to those who are pure of heart!
I
2 But, as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
my steps had nearly slipped,
3 Because I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(A)
4 For they suffer no pain;
their bodies are healthy and sleek.
5 They are free of the burdens of life;
they are not afflicted like others.
6 Thus pride adorns them as a necklace;
violence clothes them as a robe.
7 Out of such blindness comes sin;
evil thoughts flood their hearts.(B)
8 They scoff and spout their malice;
from on high they utter threats.(C)
9 [b]They set their mouths against the heavens,
their tongues roam the earth.
10 [c]So my people turn to them
and drink deeply of their words.
11 They say, “Does God really know?”
“Does the Most High have any knowledge?”(D)
12 Such, then, are the wicked,
always carefree, increasing their wealth.
II
13 Is it in vain that I have kept my heart pure,
washed my hands in innocence?(E)
14 For I am afflicted day after day,
chastised every morning.
15 Had I thought, “I will speak as they do,”
I would have betrayed this generation of your children.
16 Though I tried to understand all this,
it was too difficult for me,
17 Till I entered the sanctuary of God
and came to understand their end.[d]
III
18 You set them, indeed, on a slippery road;
you hurl them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly they are devastated;
utterly undone by disaster!
20 They are like a dream after waking, Lord,
dismissed like shadows when you arise.(F)
Chapter 11
1 False scales are an abomination to the Lord,
but an honest weight, his delight.[a](A)
2 When pride comes, disgrace comes;
but with the humble is wisdom.[b]
3 The honesty of the upright guides them;
the faithless are ruined by their duplicity.
4 Wealth is useless on a day of wrath,[c](B)
but justice saves from death.
5 The justice of the honest makes their way straight,
but by their wickedness the wicked fall.[d](C)
6 The justice of the upright saves them,
but the faithless are caught in their own intrigue.
7 When a person dies, hope is destroyed;(D)
expectation pinned on wealth is destroyed.[e]
8 The just are rescued from a tight spot,
but the wicked fall into it instead.
9 By a word the impious ruin their neighbors,(E)
but through their knowledge the just are rescued.[f]
10 When the just prosper, the city rejoices;(F)
when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11 Through the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
but through the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
12 Whoever reviles a neighbor lacks sense,
but the intelligent keep silent.
13 One who slanders reveals secrets,(G)
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
14 For lack of guidance a people falls;
security lies in many counselors.(H)
15 Harm will come to anyone going surety for another,(I)
but whoever hates giving pledges is secure.[g]
16 A gracious woman gains esteem,
and ruthless men gain wealth.[h]
17 Kindly people benefit themselves,
but the merciless harm themselves.
18 The wicked make empty profits,
but those who sow justice have a sure reward.(J)
19 Justice leads toward life,
but pursuit of evil, toward death.
20 The crooked in heart are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who walk blamelessly are his delight.[i]
21 Be assured, the wicked shall not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the just shall escape.
22 Like a golden ring in a swine’s snout
is a beautiful woman without judgment.[j]
23 The desire of the just ends only in good;
the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
24 One person is lavish yet grows still richer;
another is too sparing, yet is the poorer.[k]
25 Whoever confers benefits will be amply enriched,
and whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
26 Whoever hoards grain, the people curse,
but blessings are on the head of one who distributes it!
27 Those who seek the good seek favor,
but those who pursue evil will have evil come upon them.[l]
28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,
but like green leaves the just will flourish.(K)
29 Those who trouble their household inherit the wind,
and fools become slaves to the wise of heart.
30 The fruit of justice is a tree of life,
and one who takes lives is a sage.[m]
31 If the just are recompensed on the earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner
3 Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. 5 You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons:
“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord(A)
or lose heart when reproved by him;
6 for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.”
7 Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?(B) 8 If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards. 9 Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not [then] submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live?(C) 10 They disciplined us for a short time as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we may share his holiness. 11 At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.(D)
12 So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.(E) 13 Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed.(F)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.