Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
To the director: To the tune “The Deer of Dawn.”[a] A song of David.
22 My God, my God, why have you left me?
You seem too far away to save me,
too far to hear my cries for help!
2 My God, I kept calling by day,
and I was not silent at night.
But you did not answer me.
3 God, you are the Holy One.
You sit as King upon the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted you.
Yes, they trusted you, and you saved them.
5 They called to you for help and escaped their enemies.
They trusted you and were not disappointed!
6 But I feel like a worm, less than human!
People insult me and look down on me.
7 Everyone who sees me makes fun of me.
They shake their heads and stick out their tongues at me.
8 They say, “Call to the Lord for help.
Maybe he will save you.
If he likes you so much, surely he will rescue you!”
9 God, the truth is, you are the one who brought me into this world.
You made me feel safe while I was still at my mother’s breasts.
10 You have been my God since the day I was born.
I was thrown into your arms as I came from my mother’s womb.
11 So don’t leave me!
Trouble is near, and there is no one to help me.
12 My enemies surround me like angry bulls.
They are like the powerful bulls of Bashan, and they are all around me.
13 Their mouths are opened wide,
like a lion roaring and tearing at its prey.
Bildad Answers Job
18 Then Bildad from Shuah answered:
2 “When will you stop talking?
Be sensible; let us say something.
3 Why do you think we are stupid,
like dumb cows?
4 Your anger is hurting no one but you.
Do you think this world was made for you alone?
Do you think God should move mountains just to satisfy you?
5 “Yes, the light of those who are evil will go out.
Their fire will stop burning.
6 The light in their houses will become dark.
The lamps next to them will go out.
7 Their steps, once strong and fast, become weak.
Their own evil plans make them fall.
8 Their own feet lead them into a net.
They fall into its hidden pit and are caught.
9 A trap catches them by the heel,
and it holds them tight.
10 A rope is hidden on the ground to trip them.
A trap is waiting in their path.
11 On every side terrors frighten them.
Fears follow every step they take.
12 Disaster is hungry for them.
Ruin stands close by, waiting for them to fall.
13 Diseases will eat away their skin.
Death itself[a] will eat their arms and legs.
14 They will be taken away from the safety of their tents
and be led away to meet death, the king of terrors.
15 Nothing will be left in their tents,
which will be sprinkled with burning sulfur.
16 Their roots below will dry up,
and their branches above will die.
17 People on earth will not remember them.
Their names will be forgotten.
18 They will be forced from light into darkness.
They will be chased out of this world.
19 They will leave behind no children, no descendants.
None of their people will be left alive.
20 People in the west will be shocked at what happened to them.
People in the east will be numb with fear.
21 This is what will happen to the homes of those who are evil.
This is the place of those who don’t know God!”
4 And we still have the promise that God gave those people. That promise is that we can enter his place of rest. So we should be very careful that none of you fails to get that promise. 2 Yes, the good news about it was told to us just as it was to them. But the message they heard did not help them. They heard it but did not accept it with faith. 3 Only we who believe it are able to enter God’s place of rest. As God said,
“I was angry and made a promise:
‘They will never enter my place of rest.’” (A)
But God’s work was finished from the time he made the world. 4 Yes, somewhere in the Scriptures he talked about the seventh day of the week. He said, “So on the seventh day God rested from all his work.”[a] 5 But in the Scripture above God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.”
6 So the opportunity is still there for some to enter and enjoy God’s rest. But those who first heard the good news about it did not enter, because they did not obey. 7 So God planned another special day. It is called “today.” He spoke about that day through David a long time later using the words we quoted before:
“If you hear God’s voice today,
don’t be stubborn.” (B)
8 We know that Joshua did not lead the people into the place of rest that God promised. We know this because God spoke later about another day for rest. 9 This shows that the seventh-day rest[b] for God’s people is still to come. 10 God rested after he finished his work. So everyone who enters God’s place of rest will also have rest from their own work just as God did. 11 So let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s place of rest. We must try hard so that none of us will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey God.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International