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]
14 Every wise woman[a] has built[b] her household,[c]
but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.
2 The one who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,[d]
but the one who is perverted in his ways[e] despises him.
3 In[f] the speech[g] of a fool is a rod for his back,[h]
but the words[i] of the wise protect them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean,
but an abundant harvest is produced by strong oxen.[j]
5 A truthful witness[k] does not lie,
but a false witness[l] breathes out lies.[m]
6 The scorner[n] sought wisdom—there was none,[o]
but understanding was easy[p] for a discerning person.
7 Walk[q] abreast with a foolish person,[r]
and you do not understand[s] wise counsel.[t]
8 The wisdom of the shrewd person[u] is to discern[v] his way,
but the folly of fools is deception.[w]
9 Fools mock[x] at reparation,[y]
but among the upright there is favor.[z]
The Disciples’ Failure to Heal
14 When[a] they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures[b] and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but[c] they were not able to heal him.” 17 Jesus answered,[d] “You[e] unbelieving[f] and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure[g] you?[h] Bring him here to me.” 18 Then[i] Jesus rebuked[j] the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment. 19 Then the disciples came[k] to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth,[l] if you have faith the size of[m] a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing[n] will be impossible for you.”[o]
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