Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
(F)Test my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your (G)lovingkindness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your [d]truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful men,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I shall (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go about (M)Your altar, O Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 O Lord, I (O)love the habitation of Your house
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory dwells.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on a (X)level place;
In the (Y)congregations I shall bless the Lord.
Job’s Life Seems Futile
7 “[a]Is not man (A)forced to labor on earth,
And are not his days like the days of (B)a hired man?
2 “As a slave who pants for the shade,
And as a hired man who eagerly waits for his wages,
3 So am I allotted months of vanity,
And (C)nights of trouble are appointed me.
4 “When I (D)lie down I say,
‘When shall I arise?’
But the night continues,
And I am [b]continually tossing until dawn.
5 “My (E)flesh is clothed with worms and a crust of dirt,
My skin hardens and runs.
6 “My days are (F)swifter than a weaver’s shuttle,
And come to an end (G)without hope.
7 “Remember that my life (H)is but breath;
My eye will (I)not again see good.
8 “The (J)eye of him who sees me will behold me no longer;
Your eyes will be on me, but (K)I will not be.
9 “When a (L)cloud vanishes, it is gone,
So (M)he who goes down to (N)Sheol does not come up.
10 “He will not return again to his house,
Nor will (O)his place know him anymore.
11 “Therefore (P)I will not restrain my mouth;
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit,
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 “Am I the sea, or (Q)the sea monster,
That You set a guard over me?
13 “If I say, ‘(R)My bed will comfort me,
My couch will [c]ease my complaint,’
14 Then You frighten me with dreams
And terrify me by visions;
15 So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my [d]pains.
16 “I [e](S)waste away; I will not live forever.
Leave me alone, (T)for my days are but a breath.
17 “(U)What is man that You magnify him,
And that You [f]are concerned about him,
18 That (V)You examine him every morning
And try him every moment?
19 “[g](W)Will You never turn Your gaze away from me,
Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?
20 “(X)Have I sinned? What have I done to You,
O (Y)watcher of men?
Why have You set me as Your target,
So that I am a burden to myself?
21 “Why then (Z)do You not pardon my transgression
And take away my iniquity?
For now I will (AA)lie down in the dust;
And You will seek me, (AB)but I will not be.”
14 Now the Pharisees, who were (A)lovers of money, were listening to all these things and (B)were scoffing at Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who (C)justify yourselves [a]in the sight of men, but (D)God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable [b]in the sight of God.
16 “(E)The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time (F)the gospel of the kingdom of God [c]has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 (G)But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one [d]stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
18 “(H)Everyone who [e]divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is [f]divorced from a husband commits adultery.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.