Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 28
My Strength
Davidic.
1 Lord, I call to You;
my rock, do not be deaf to me.(A)
If You remain silent to me,
I will be like those going down to the Pit.(B)
2 Listen to the sound of my pleading
when I cry to You for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward Your holy sanctuary.(C)
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked,
with the evildoers,
who speak in friendly ways with their neighbors
while malice is in their hearts.(D)
4 Repay them according to what they have done—
according to the evil of their deeds.
Repay them according to the work of their hands;
give them back what they deserve.(E)
5 Because they do not consider
what the Lord has done
or the work of His hands,
He will tear them down and not rebuild them.(F)
9 Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not reach us.
We hope for light, but there is darkness;
for brightness, but we live in the night.
10 We grope along a wall like the blind;
we grope like those without eyes.(A)
We stumble at noon as though it were twilight;
we are like the dead among those who are healthy.
11 We all growl like bears
and moan like doves.(B)
We hope for justice, but there is none;
for salvation, but it is far from us.
12 For our transgressions have multiplied before You,(C)
and our sins testify against us.(D)
For our transgressions are with us,
and we know our iniquities:(E)
13 transgression and deception against the Lord,
turning away from following our God,
speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.
14 Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far off.
For truth has stumbled in the public square,
and honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth is missing,
and whoever turns from evil is plundered.
The Lord saw that there was no justice,
and He was offended.
16 He saw that there was no man—
He was amazed that there was no one interceding;(F)
so His own arm brought salvation,
and His own righteousness supported Him.
17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on His head;(G)
He put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
and He wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak.(H)
18 So He will repay according to their deeds:(I)
fury to His enemies,
retribution to His foes,
and He will repay the coastlands.
19 They will fear the name of Yahweh in the west
and His glory in the east;(J)
for He will come like a rushing stream(K)
driven by the wind of the Lord.
The Living Stone and a Holy People
2 So rid yourselves of(A) all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.(B) 2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk,(C) so that you may grow by it for your salvation,[a] 3 since you have tasted(D) that the Lord is good.(E)[b] 4 Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God(F) through Jesus Christ. 6 For it is contained in Scripture:
Look! I lay a stone in Zion,(G)
a chosen and honored[c] cornerstone,[d](H)
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame[f]
7 So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving,
8 and
They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined(L) for this.
9 But you are a chosen race,[k](M)[l] a royal priesthood,(N)[m]
a holy nation,(O)[n] a people for His possession,(P)[o]
so that you may proclaim the praises[p](Q)[q]
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.(R)
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy,(S)
but now you have received mercy.
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