Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Book 3 (Psalms 73-89)
Psalm 73[a]
A psalm by Asaph.
73 Certainly God is good to Israel,[b]
and to those whose motives are pure.[c]
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my feet almost slid out from under me.[d]
3 For I envied those who are proud,
as I observed[e] the prosperity[f] of the wicked.
4 For they suffer no pain;[g]
their bodies[h] are strong and well fed.[i]
5 They are immune to the trouble common to men;
they do not suffer as other men do.[j]
6 Arrogance is their necklace,[k]
and violence covers them like clothing.[l]
7 Their prosperity causes them to do wrong;[m]
their thoughts are sinful.[n]
8 They mock[o] and say evil things;[p]
they proudly threaten violence.[q]
9 They speak as if they rule in heaven,
and lay claim to the earth.[r]
10 Therefore they have more than enough food to eat,
and even suck up the water of the sea.[s]
11 They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the Most High aware of what goes on?”[t]
12 Take a good look. This is what the wicked are like,[u]
those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer.[v]
13 I concluded,[w] “Surely in vain I have kept my motives[x] pure
and maintained a pure lifestyle.[y]
14 I suffer all day long,
and am punished every morning.”
15 If I had publicized these thoughts,[z]
I would have betrayed your people.[aa]
16 When I tried to make sense of this,
it was troubling to me.[ab]
17 Then I entered the precincts of God’s temple,[ac]
and understood the destiny of the wicked.[ad]
18 Surely[ae] you put them in slippery places;
you bring them down[af] to ruin.
19 How desolate they become in a mere moment.
Terrifying judgments make their demise complete.[ag]
20 They are like a dream after one wakes up.[ah]
O Lord, when you awake[ai] you will despise them.[aj]
11 The Lord abhors[a] dishonest scales,[b]
but an accurate weight[c] is his delight.
2 After pride[d] came,[e] disgrace followed;[f]
but wisdom came[g] with humility.[h]
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,[i]
but the crookedness of the treacherous[j] destroys them.[k]
4 Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath,[l]
but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless will make their way smooth,[m]
but the wicked will fall through their own wickedness.[n]
6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,[o]
but the treacherous will be ensnared[p] by their own desires.[q]
7 When a wicked person dies, his[r] expectation perishes,[s]
and hope based on power[t] has perished.[u]
8 A righteous person was delivered[v] out of trouble,
then a wicked person took his place.[w]
9 With his speech[x] the godless person[y] destroys[z] his neighbor,
but by knowledge[aa] the righteous will be delivered.
10 When the righteous do well,[ab] the city rejoices;[ac]
when the wicked perish, there is joy.
11 A city is exalted by the blessing provided from[ad] the upright,
but it is destroyed by the counsel[ae] of the wicked.[af]
12 The one who denounces[ag] his neighbor lacks sense,[ah]
but a discerning person[ai] keeps silent.[aj]
13 The one who goes about slandering others[ak] reveals[al] secrets,
but the one who is trustworthy[am] conceals a matter.
14 When there is no guidance[an] a nation falls,
but there is success[ao] in the abundance of counselors.
15 The one who has put up security for a stranger[ap] will surely have trouble,[aq]
but whoever avoids[ar] shaking hands[as] is secure.[at]
16 A generous woman[au] gains honor,
and ruthless men[av] seize wealth.[aw]
17 A kind person[ax] benefits[ay] himself,[az]
but a cruel person brings himself trouble.[ba]
18 The wicked person[bb] earns[bc] deceitful wages,[bd]
but the one who sows[be] righteousness reaps[bf] a genuine[bg] reward.[bh]
19 True[bi] righteousness leads to[bj] life,
but the one who pursues evil pursues it[bk] to his own death.[bl]
20 The Lord abhors[bm] those who are perverse in heart,[bn]
but those who are blameless in their ways[bo] are his delight.[bp]
21 Be assured that[bq] the evil person will not be unpunished,[br]
but the descendants of the righteous[bs] have escaped harm.[bt]
22 Like[bu] a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who rejects[bv] discretion.[bw]
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
but the expectation of the wicked is wrath.[bx]
24 One person is generous[by] and yet grows more wealthy,[bz]
but another withholds more than he should[ca] and comes to poverty.[cb]
25 A generous person[cc] will be enriched,[cd]
and the one who provides water[ce] for others[cf] will himself be satisfied.[cg]
26 People will curse[ch] the one who withholds grain,[ci]
but they will praise[cj] the one who sells it.[ck]
27 The one who diligently seeks[cl] good seeks favor,
but the one who searches for[cm] evil—it will come to him.[cn]
28 The one who trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous[co] will flourish like a green leaf.[cp]
29 The one who troubles[cq] his family[cr] will inherit nothing,[cs]
and the fool[ct] will be a servant to the wise person.[cu]
30 The fruit of the righteous is like[cv] a tree producing life,[cw]
and the one who wins souls[cx] is wise.[cy]
31 If the righteous are recompensed on earth,[cz]
how much more[da] the wicked sinner![db]
3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed[a] in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons?
“My son, do not scorn[b] the Lord’s discipline
or give up when he corrects[c] you.
6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.”[d]
7 Endure your suffering[e] as discipline;[f] God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you do not experience discipline,[g] something all sons[h] have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. 9 Besides, we have experienced discipline from[i] our earthly fathers[j] and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life?[k] 10 For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. 11 Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful.[l] But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness[m] for those trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen[n] your listless hands and your weak knees,[o] 13 and make straight paths for your feet,[p] so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.
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