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.
Zophar Answers Job
20 Then Zophar from Naamah answered:
2 “You upset me, so I must answer you.
I must tell you what I am thinking.
3 You insulted me with your answers!
But I am wise and know how to answer you.
4-5 “You know that the joy of the wicked does not last long.
That has been true a long time, ever since Adam was[a] put on earth.
Those who don’t know God are happy for only a short time.
6 Maybe an evil man’s pride will reach up to the sky,
and his head will touch the clouds.
7 But he will be gone forever like his own body waste.
People who knew him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 Like a dream, he will fly away, never to be found.
He will be chased away like a bad dream.[b]
9 Those who knew him before will not see him again.
His family will never again get to see him.
10 His children will have to give back what he took from the poor.
His own hands will give up his wealth.
11 When he was young, his bones were strong,
but, like the rest of his body, they will soon lie in the dirt.
12 “Evil tastes sweet in his mouth.
He keeps it under his tongue to enjoy it fully.
13 He hates to let it go
and holds it in his mouth.
14 But that evil will turn sour in his stomach.
It will be like a snake’s bitter poison inside him.
15 The evil man will spit out the riches he has swallowed.
God will make him vomit them up.
16 What he drank will be like a snake’s poison;
it will kill him like the bite of a deadly snake.
17 He will never again enjoy so much wealth—
rivers flowing with honey and cream.[c]
18 He will be forced to give back his profits.
He will not be allowed to enjoy what he worked for,
19 because he hurt the poor and left them with nothing.
He took houses he did not build.
20 “The evil man is never satisfied.
But the things he wants cannot save him.
21 After filling himself, there is nothing left.
His success will not continue.
22 Even while he has plenty, he will be pressed down with trouble.
His problems will come down on him!
23 If he does get all he wants,
God will throw his burning anger against him.
God will attack him and rain down punishment on him.
24 Maybe he will run away from an iron sword,
but then a bronze arrow[d] will strike him down.
25 It will go through his body
and stick out of his back.
Its shining point will pierce his liver,
and he will be shocked with terror.
26 All his treasures will be lost in darkness.
He will be destroyed by a fire, a fire that no human started.
It will destroy everything left in his house.
27 Heaven will prove that he is guilty.
The earth will be a witness against him.
28 His house and everything in it will be carried away
in the flood of God’s anger.
29 That is what God will do to those who are evil.
That is what he plans to give them.”
God’s Law and Human Traditions(A)
15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus. They came from Jerusalem and asked him, 2 “Why do your followers not obey the traditions we have from our great leaders who lived long ago? Your followers don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3 Jesus answered, “And why do you refuse to obey God’s command so that you can follow those traditions you have? 4 God said, ‘You must respect your father and mother.’[a] And God also said, ‘Whoever says anything bad to their father or mother must be killed.’[b] 5 But you teach that a person can say to their father or mother, ‘I have something I could use to help you. But I will not use it for you. I will give it to God.’ 6 You are teaching them not to respect their father. So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think it is more important to follow those traditions you have. 7 You are hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he spoke for God about you:
8 ‘These people honor me with their words,
but I am not really important to them.
9 Their worship of me is worthless.
The things they teach are only human rules.’” (B)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International