Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Cry of Fear and a Song of Praise

22 My God, my God, why have You left me alone? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words I cry inside myself? ² O my God, I cry during the day, but You do not answer. I cry during the night, but I find no rest. ³ Yet You are holy. The praises Israel gives You are Your throne. ⁴ Our fathers trusted in You, and You saved them. ⁵ They cried to You and were set free. They trusted in You and were not ashamed.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man. I am put to shame by men, and am hated by the people. ⁷ All who see me make fun of me. They open their mouths and shake their heads, and say, ⁸ “He trusts in the Lord. Let the Lord help him. Let the Lord take him out of trouble, because he is happy in Him.”

⁹ But You brought me out when I was born. You made me trust when I drank my mother’s milk. ¹⁰ I was in Your care from birth. Since my mother gave birth to me, You have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me, for trouble is near. And there is no one to help. ¹² Many bulls have gathered all around me. Strong bulls of Bashan stand around me. ¹³ They open their mouths wide against me, like a loud, hungry lion. ¹⁴ I am poured out like water. And all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like a melted candle within me. ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a piece of a broken clay pot. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. And You lay me in the dust of death.

Bildad Talks

18 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, ² “How long will you keep talking? Show understanding and then we can talk. ³ Why are we thought of as animals? Why do you see us as not being able to think? ⁴ You who tear yourself in your anger, will the earth be left alone because of you? Or will the rocks be moved from their place?

⁵ “Yes, the light of the sinful is put out. His fire does not give light. ⁶ The light in his tent is made dark, and his lamp goes out above him. ⁷ His strong steps are made short, and his own plans make him fall. ⁸ For he is thrown down into a net by his own feet and walks on it. ⁹ A trap catches him by the foot and holds him. ¹⁰ A tied rope is hidden in the ground for him. A trap is set for him on the path. ¹¹ He is filled with fear on every side. It follows him at every step. ¹² His strength leaves him because trouble is waiting for him at every side. ¹³ His skin is eaten by disease and the beginning of death eats his legs. ¹⁴ He is taken away from his tent where he was safe, and is brought to the king of fears. ¹⁵ Fire destroys everything in his tent and sulphur is spread where he lives. ¹⁶ His roots are dried below and his branch is cut off above. ¹⁷ No one on earth will remember him. His name will not be known in the land. ¹⁸ He is sent from light into darkness, and driven away from where people live. ¹⁹ He has no children among his people to carry on his name where he lived. ²⁰ Those in the west are surprised and afraid at what happened to him. And those in the east are filled with fear. ²¹ For sure, these are the houses of the sinful. This is the place of him who does not know God.”

The Christian’s Rest

4 The same promise of going into God’s rest is still for us. But we should be afraid that some of us may not be able to go in. ² We have heard the Good News even as they did, but it did them no good because it was not mixed with faith. ³ We who have put our trust in God go into His rest. God said this of our early fathers, “I was angry and said, ‘They will not go into My rest.’”^(A) And yet God’s work was finished after He made the world.

God’s Rest

⁴ In the Holy Writings He said this about the seventh day when He made the whole world, “God rested on the seventh day from all He had made.” ^{(B) 5} But God said this about those who turned against Him, “They will not go into My rest.” ^{(C) 6} Those who heard the Good News first did not go into His rest. It was because they had not obeyed Him. But the promise is still good and some are going into His rest. ⁷ God has again set a certain day for people to go into His rest. He says through David many years later as He had said before, “If you hear His voice today, do not let your hearts become hard.” ^(D)

⁸ If Joshua had led those people into God’s rest, He would not have told of another day after that. ⁹ And so God’s people have a complete rest waiting for them. ¹⁰ The man who goes into God’s rest, rests from his own work the same as God rested from His work. ¹¹ Let us do our best to go into that rest or we will be like the people who did not go in.