Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Vanity of Life.
For the choir director, for [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will (A)guard my ways
That I (B)may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard (C)my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was (D)mute [b]and silent,
I [c]refrained even from good,
And my [d]sorrow grew worse.
3 My (E)heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me to know (F)my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how (G)transient I am.
5 “Behold, You have made (H)my days as handbreadths,
And my (I)lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man [e]at his best is [f]a mere (J)breath. [g]Selah.
6 “Surely every man (K)walks about as [h]a phantom;
Surely they make an (L)uproar for nothing;
He (M)amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My (N)hope is in You.
8 “(O)Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the (P)reproach of the foolish.
9 “I have become (Q)mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is (R)You who have done it.
10 “(S)Remove Your plague from me;
Because of (T)the opposition of Your hand I am [i]perishing.
11 “With (U)reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You (V)consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely (W)every man is a mere breath. Selah.
Job Rebukes Bildad
26 Then Job [a]responded,
2 “What a help you are to [b](A)the weak!
How you have saved the arm (B)without strength!
3 “What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly [c]provided!
4 “To whom have you uttered words?
And whose [d]spirit was expressed through you?
The Greatness of God
5 “The [e](C)departed spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 “Naked is [f](D)Sheol before Him,
And [g](E)Abaddon has no covering.
7 “He (F)stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 “He (G)wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 “He [h](H)obscures the face of the [i]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 “He has inscribed a (I)circle on the surface of the waters
At the (J)boundary of light and darkness.
11 “The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 “He (K)quieted the sea with His power,
And by His (L)understanding He shattered (M)Rahab.
13 “By His breath the (N)heavens are [j]cleared;
His hand has pierced (O)the fleeing serpent.
14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint (P)a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty (Q)thunder, who can understand?”
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from (A)every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing (B)before the throne and (C)before the Lamb, clothed in (D)white robes, and (E)palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“(F)Salvation to our God (G)who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing (H)around the throne and around (I)the elders and the (J)four living creatures; and they (K)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“(L)Amen, (M)blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. (N)Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders (O)answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the (P)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I [a]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the (Q)great tribulation, and they have (R)washed their robes and made them (S)white in the (T)blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason, they are (U)before the throne of God; and they (V)serve Him day and night in His [b](W)temple; and (X)He who sits on the throne will spread His (Y)tabernacle over them. 16 (Z)They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun [c]beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their (AA)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the [d](AB)water of life; and (AC)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.