Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 39[a]
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39 I decided,[b] “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.[c]
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil person.”[d]
2 I was stone silent;[e]
I held back the urge to speak.[f]
My frustration grew;[g]
3 my anxiety intensified.[h]
As I thought about it, I became impatient.[i]
Finally I spoke these words:[j]
4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life.[k]
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass.[l]
5 Look, you make my days short-lived,[m]
and my life span is nothing from your perspective.[n]
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.[o] (Selah)
6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.[p]
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”[q]
7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope![r]
8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion.
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults.
9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done.[s]
10 Please stop wounding me.[t]
You have almost beaten me to death.[u]
11 You severely discipline people for their sins;[v]
like a moth you slowly devour their strength.[w]
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord.
Listen to my cry for help.
Do not ignore my sobbing.[x]
For I am a resident foreigner with you,
a temporary settler,[y] just as all my ancestors were.
13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away.[z]
V. The Speeches of Elihu (32:1-37:24)
Elihu’s First Speech[a]
32 So these three men refused to answer[b] Job further, because he was righteous in his[c] own eyes. 2 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry.[d] He was angry[e] with Job for justifying[f] himself rather than God.[g] 3 With Job’s[h] three friends he was also angry, because they could not find[i] an answer, and so declared Job guilty.[j] 4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking[k] to Job, because the others[l] were older than he was. 5 But when Elihu saw[m] that the three men had no further reply,[n] he became very angry.
Elihu Claims Wisdom
6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up:[o]
“I am young,[p] but you are elderly;
that is why I was fearful,[q]
and afraid to explain[r] to you what I know.
7 I said to myself, ‘Age[s] should speak,[t]
and length of years[u] should make wisdom known.’
8 But it is a spirit in people,
the breath[v] of the Almighty,
that makes them understand.
9 It is not the aged[w] who are wise,
nor old men who understand what is right.
10 Therefore I say, ‘Listen[x] to me.
I, even I, will explain what I know.’
11 Look, I waited for you to speak;[y]
I listened closely to your wise thoughts,[z] while you were searching for words.
12 Now I was paying you close attention,[aa]
yet[ab] there was no one proving Job wrong,[ac]
not one of you was answering his statements.
13 So do not say,[ad] ‘We have found wisdom.
God will refute[ae] him, not man.’
14 Job[af] has not directed[ag] his words to me,
and so I will not reply to him with your arguments.[ah]
Job’s Friends Failed to Answer[ai]
15 “They are dismayed[aj] and cannot answer anymore;
they have nothing left to say.[ak]
16 And I have waited.[al] But because they do not speak,
because they stand there and answer no more,
17 I too will answer my part,
I too will explain what I know.
18 For I am full of words,
and the spirit within me[am] constrains me.[an]
19 Inside I am like wine that has no outlet,[ao]
like new wineskins[ap] ready to burst!
20 I will speak,[aq] so that I may find relief;
I will open my lips, so that I may answer.
21 I will not show partiality to any person,[ar]
nor will I confer a title[as] on anyone.
22 For I do not know how to give honorary titles,[at]
if I did,[au] my Creator would quickly do away with me.[av]
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple[a] and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously[b] every day. 20 But at his gate lay[c] a poor man named Lazarus[d] whose body was covered with sores,[e] 21 who longed to eat[f] what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs[g] came and licked[h] his sores.
22 “Now[i] the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.[j] The[k] rich man also died and was buried.[l] 23 And in Hades,[m] as he was in torment,[n] he looked up[o] and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side.[p] 24 So[q] he called out,[r] ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus[s] to dip the tip of his finger[t] in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish[u] in this fire.’[v] 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child,[w] remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.[x] 26 Besides all this,[y] a great chasm[z] has been fixed between us,[aa] so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 So[ab] the rich man[ac] said, ‘Then I beg you, father—send Lazarus[ad] to my father’s house 28 (for I have five brothers) to warn[ae] them so that they don’t come[af] into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said,[ag] ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to[ah] them.’ 30 Then[ai] the rich man[aj] said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead[ak] goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 He[al] replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to[am] Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”[an]
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