Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer of a Man Hurt by a Friend

55 Listen to my prayer, O God. Do not hide Yourself from what I ask. ² Hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I have no peace, ³ because of the voice of those who hate me and the power of the sinful. For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they keep on having bad thoughts against me.

⁴ My heart is in pain within me. The fears of death have come upon me. ⁵ I have begun shaking with fear. Fear has power over me. ⁶ And I say, “If only I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. ⁷ Yes, I would go far away. I would live in the desert. ⁸ I would hurry to my safe place, away from the wild wind and storm.”

⁹ Mix them up, O Lord. Divide their tongues. For I have seen fighting and trouble in the city. ¹⁰ They go around on its walls day and night. Sin and wrong-doing are within it. ¹¹ Destroying powers are in the city. Trouble and lies never leave its streets.

¹² I would be able to take it if one who hates me were putting me to shame. I could hide from him. It is not one who hates me who has put himself up against me. ¹³ But it is you, a man like myself, one who has gone with me, my close friend. ¹⁴ We shared together. And we walked with the people in the house of God. ¹⁵ Let death take them by surprise. Let them go down alive to the grave. For sin is with them where they live.

Bildad Talks

8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, ² “How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a strong wind? ³ Does God make wrong what is fair? Does the All-powerful make wrong what is right? ⁴ If your children have sinned against Him, He has given them over to the power of their sin. ⁵ If you will look for God and pray to the All-powerful, ⁶ if you are pure and right and good, for sure He will help you. Because you are right and good He will put you back where you should be. ⁷ And even if your beginning was small, your end will be very great.

⁸ “Ask about those who have lived before. Think about what their fathers learned. ⁹ For we are only of yesterday and know nothing. Our days on earth are as a shadow. ¹⁰ Will they not teach you and tell you, and speak words of wisdom?

¹¹ “Can the tall river grass grow up from dry ground? Can the grass that grows in wet places grow without water? ¹² While it is still green and not cut, it becomes dry and dead before any other plant. ¹³ So are the ways of all who forget God. The hope of the man without God is destroyed. ¹⁴ What he trusts in is easy to break, like the home of a spider. ¹⁵ The spider trusts in his house, but it falls apart. He holds on to it, but it does not hold. ¹⁶ He is full of strength in the sunshine, and his branches spread out over his garden. ¹⁷ His roots grow around rocks and they work their way among the stones. ¹⁸ If he is taken from his place, then it will turn away from him, saying, ‘I have never seen you.’ ¹⁹ See, this is the joy of His way. And out of the dust others will come. ²⁰ See, God will not turn away from a man who is honest and faithful. And He will not help those who do wrong. ²¹ He will yet make you laugh and call out with joy. ²² Those who hate you will be dressed with shame. And the tent of the sinful will be no more.”

How a Husband and Wife Should Live

7 You asked me some questions in your letter. This is my answer. It is good if a man does not get married. ² But because of being tempted to sex sins, each man should get married and have his own wife. Each woman should get married and have her own husband. ³ The husband should please his wife as a husband. The wife should please her husband as a wife. ⁴ The wife is not the boss of her own body. It belongs to the husband. And in the same way, the husband is not the boss of his own body. It belongs to the wife.

⁵ Do not keep from each other that which belongs to each other in marriage unless you agree for awhile so you can use your time to pray. Then come together again or the devil will tempt you to do that which you know you should not do.

⁶ This is what I think. I am not saying you must do it. ⁷ I wish everyone were as I am, but each has his own gift from God. One has one gift. Another has another gift.

⁸ This is what I say to those who are not married and to women whose husbands have died. It is good if you do not get married. I am not married. ⁹ But if you are not able to keep from doing that which you know is wrong, get married. It is better to get married than to have such strong sex desires.