Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God Puts Down the Proud and Lifts Up Those Who Are Right with Himself

75 We give thanks to You, O God. We give thanks that Your name is near. Men tell about the great things You have done. ² You say, “When the right time has come, I will be right and fair in deciding who is guilty or not. ³ When the earth and all its people shake, it is I Who will hold it together. ⁴ I said to the proud, ‘Do not speak with pride.’ And I said to the sinful, ‘Do not lift up the horn. ⁵ Do not lift your horn up high. Do not speak in your pride.’”

⁶ For honor does not come from the east or the west or from the desert. ⁷ But God is the One Who decides. He puts down one and brings respect to another. ⁸ For there is a cup in the Lord’s hand. It is full of strong wine that is well mixed. He pours out from it, and all the sinful people of the earth must drink all of it.

⁹ But as for me, I will tell of it forever. I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. ¹⁰ He will cut off all the horns of the sinful. But the horns of those who are right with God will be lifted up.

The Lord Is Speaking to Job

40 Then the Lord said to Job, ² “Will one who finds fault not agree with the All-powerful? He who speaks strong words against God, let him answer.”

³ Job answered the Lord and said, ⁴ “See, I am not important. What can I answer You? I put my hand on my mouth. ⁵ I have spoken once, and I cannot answer; even twice, and I have no more to say.”

⁶ Then the Lord answered out of the storm, and said, ⁷ “Get ready like a man. I will ask you, and you answer Me. ⁸ Will you say what I decide is wrong? Will you say that I have done wrong, that you may be made right? ⁹ Do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like His?

¹⁰ “Dress yourself with shining-greatness and great power. Cover yourself with honor and greatness. ¹¹ Pour out your anger that is flowing over. Look on everyone who is proud, and put him to shame. ¹² Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him down. Crush the sinful where they stand. ¹³ Hide them all in the dust together. Shut them up in the hidden place. ¹⁴ Then I will also tell you that your own right hand can save you.

¹⁵ “See now the hippopotamus, which I made as well as you. He eats grass like an ox. ¹⁶ See, his strength is in his body. His power is in his stomach. ¹⁷ He moves his tail like a cedar tree. His legs are made very strong. ¹⁸ His bones are like brass. His legs are like pieces of iron.

¹⁹ “He is the first of the works of God. Let his maker bring him his sword. ²⁰ For sure the mountains bring food to him where all the animals of the field play. ²¹ He lies down under the lotus plants, hidden in the high river grass. ²² He lies in the shadow of the lotus plants, with the willow trees of the river around him. ²³ If a river flows over, he is not afraid. He is sure of himself even if the Jordan rushes against his mouth. ²⁴ Can anyone take him when he is watching? Can anyone catch him and put a ring in his nose?

Going Ahead

6 So let us leave the first things you need to know about Christ. Let us go on to the teaching that full-grown Christians should understand. We do not need to teach these first truths again. You already know that you must be sorry for your sins and turn from them. You know that you must have faith in God. ² You know about being baptized and about putting hands on people. You know about being raised from the dead and about being punished forever. ³ We will go on, if God lets us.

⁴ There are those who have known the truth. They have received the gift from heaven. They have shared the Holy Spirit. ⁵ They know how good the Word of God is. They know of the powers of the world to come. ⁶ But if they turn away, they cannot be sorry for their sins and turn from them again. It is because they are nailing the Son of God on a cross again. They are holding Him up in shame in front of all people. ⁷ It is the same with a piece of ground that has had many rains fall on it. God makes it possible for that ground to give good fruits and vegetables. ⁸ But if it gives nothing but weeds, it is worth nothing. It will be hated and destroyed by fire.

⁹ Dear friends, even as we tell you this, we are sure of better things for you. These things go along with being saved from the punishment of sin. ¹⁰ God always does what is right. He will not forget the work you did to help the Christians and the work you are still doing to help them. This shows your love for Christ. ¹¹ We want each one of you to keep on working to the end. Then what you hope for, will happen. ¹² Do not be lazy. Be like those who have faith and have not given up. They will receive what God has promised them.