Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Job’s Reply to Eliphaz[a]
23 Then Job answered:
2 “Even today my complaint is still bitter;[b]
his[c] hand is heavy despite[d] my groaning.
3 O that I knew[e] where I might find him,[f]
that I could come[g] to his place of residence![h]
4 I would lay out my case[i] before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know with what words[j] he would answer me,
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he contend[k] with me with great power?
No, he would only pay attention to me.[l]
7 There[m] an upright person
could present his case[n] before him,
and I would be delivered forever from my judge.
The Inaccessibility and Power of God
Psalm 22[a]
For the music director, according to the tune “Morning Doe”;[b] a psalm of David.
22 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?[c]
I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.[d]
2 My God, I cry out during the day,
but you do not answer,
and during the night my prayers do not let up.[e]
3 You are holy;
you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel.[f]
4 In you our ancestors[g] trusted;
they trusted in you[h] and you rescued them.
5 To you they cried out, and they were saved;
in you they trusted and they were not disappointed.[i]
6 But I[j] am a worm,[k] not a man;[l]
people insult me and despise me.[m]
7 All who see me taunt[n] me;
they mock me[o] and shake their heads.[p]
8 They say,[q]
“Commit yourself[r] to the Lord!
Let the Lord[s] rescue him!
Let the Lord[t] deliver him, for he delights in him.”[u]
9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out[v] from the womb
and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.
10 I have been dependent on you since birth;[w]
from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God.[x]
11 Do not remain far away from me,
for trouble is near and I have no one to help me.[y]
12 Many bulls[z] surround me;
powerful bulls of Bashan[aa] hem me in.
13 They[ab] open their mouths to devour me[ac]
like a roaring lion that rips its prey.[ad]
14 My strength drains away like water;[ae]
all my bones are dislocated.
My heart[af] is like wax;
it melts away inside me.
15 The roof of my mouth[ag] is as dry as a piece of pottery;
my tongue sticks to my gums.[ah]
You[ai] set me in the dust of death.[aj]
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from God,[a] but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.
Jesus Our Compassionate High Priest
14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.[b]
The Rich Man
17 Now[a] as Jesus[b] was starting out on his way, someone ran up to him, fell on his knees, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”[c] 18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good?[d] No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”[e] 20 The man[f] said to him, “Teacher, I have wholeheartedly obeyed[g] all these laws[h] since my youth.”[i] 21 As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said, “You lack one thing. Go, sell whatever you have and give the money[j] to the poor, and you will have treasure[k] in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 But at this statement, the man[l] looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.[m]
23 Then[n] Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”[o] 24 The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to them,[p] “Children, how hard it is[q] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel[r] to go through the eye of a needle[s] than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said[t] to one another, “Then[u] who can be saved?”[v] 27 Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans,[w] but not for God; all things are possible for God.”
28 Peter began to speak to him, “Look,[x] we have left everything to follow you!”[y] 29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth,[z] there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive in this age[aa] a hundred times as much—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions[ab]—and in the age to come, eternal life.[ac] 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
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