Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 75
Thanksgiving for God’s Wondrous Deeds
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1 We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks; your name is near.
People tell of your wondrous deeds.(A)
2 At the set time that I appoint,
I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep its pillars steady. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, “Do not boast,”
and to the wicked, “Do not lift up your horn;(B)
5 do not lift up your horn on high
or speak with insolent neck.”(C)
6 For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,(D)
7 but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.(E)
8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed;
he will pour a draught from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs.(F)
9 But I will rejoice[a] forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.(G)
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.(H)
41 [a]“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook
or press down its tongue with a cord?(A)
2 Can you put a rope in its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?(B)
3 Will it make many supplications to you?
Will it speak soft words to you?
4 Will it make a covenant with you
to be taken as your servant forever?
5 Will you play with it as with a bird
or put it on a leash for your young women?
6 Will traders bargain over it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its skin with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
8 Lay hands on it;
think of the battle; you will not do it again!
9 [b]Any hope of capturing it[c] will be disappointed;
one is overwhelmed even at the sight of it.
10 No one is so fierce as to dare to stir it up.
Who can stand before it?[d](C)
11 Who can confront it[e] and be safe?[f]
—under the whole heaven, who?[g](D)
The Certainty of God’s Promise
13 When God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself,(A) 14 saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham,[a] having patiently endured, obtained the promise. 16 Humans, of course, swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all dispute among them.(B) 17 In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath,(C) 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us.(D) 19 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,(E) 20 where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.(F)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.