Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A song of David.
26 Lord, you be the judge and prove that I have lived a pure life.
I have depended on you, Lord, to keep me from falling.
2 Look closely at me, Lord, and test me.
Judge my deepest thoughts and emotions.
3 I always remember your faithful love.
I depend on your faithfulness.
4 I don’t run around with troublemakers.
I have nothing to do with hypocrites.
5 I hate being around evil people.
I refuse to join those gangs of crooks.
6 Lord, I wash my hands to make myself pure,
so that I can come to your altar.
7 I sing a song to give you thanks,
and I tell about all the wonderful things you have done.
8 Lord, I love the house[a] where you live,
the place where your glory is.
9 Lord, don’t treat me like one of those sinners.
Don’t kill me with those murderers.
10 They are guilty of cheating people.
They take bribes to do wrong.
11 But I am innocent,
so be kind to me and save me.
12 I am safe from all danger
as I stand here praising you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
7 “People have a hard struggle on earth.
Their life is like that of a hired worker.
2 They are like a slave looking for cool shade
or a hired worker waiting for payday.
3 Month after frustrating month has gone by.
I have suffered night after night.
4 When I lie down, I think,
‘How long before it’s time to get up?’
The night drags on.
I toss and turn until the sun comes up.
5 My skin is covered with worms and scabs.
It is cracked and covered with sores.
6 “My days pass by faster than a weaver’s shuttle,[a]
and my life will end without hope.
7 God, remember, my life is like a breath.
I will not get a second chance to enjoy it.
8 Those who see me now will never see me again.
You watch me for a while, but then I am gone.
9 Just as clouds that come and go,
people are put in the grave, never to rise again.
10 They don’t come back to their old homes.
The people there would not know them.
11 “So I will not be quiet!
I will let my suffering spirit speak!
I will let my bitter soul complain!
12 Am I one of your enemies?
Is that why you put a guard over me?[b]
13 My bed should bring me comfort.
My couch should give me rest and relief.
14 But when I lie down, you scare me with dreams;
you frighten me with visions.
15 So I would rather be choked to death
than to live like this.
16 I hate my life—I give up.
I don’t want to live forever.
Leave me alone!
My life means nothing.
17 God, why are people so important to you?
Why do you even notice them?
18 Why do you visit them every morning
and test them at every moment?
19 You never look away from me
or leave me alone for a second.
20 You are always watching us!
If I sinned, would that hurt you?
Why have you made me your target?
Have I become a problem for you?
21 Why don’t you just pardon me for doing wrong?
Why don’t you just forgive me for my sins?
Soon I will die and be in my grave.
You will search for me, but I will be gone.”
God’s Law Cannot Be Changed(A)
14 The Pharisees were listening to all these things. They criticized Jesus because they all loved money. 15 Jesus said to them, “You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. What people think is important is worth nothing to God.
16 “Before John the Baptizer came, people were taught the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. But since the time of John, the Good News about God’s kingdom is being told. And everyone is trying hard to get into it. 17 But even the smallest part of a letter in the law cannot be changed. It would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away.
Divorce and Remarriage
18 “Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman is guilty of adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman is also guilty of adultery.”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International