Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.
10 Why (A)do You stand far away, Lord?
Why (B)do You hide [a]Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In (C)arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the needy;
[b]Let them be (D)caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked (E)boasts of his (F)soul’s desire,
And [c]the greedy person curses and (G)shows disrespect to the Lord.
4 The wicked, [d]in his haughtiness, (H)does not seek Him.
(I)There is no God in all his schemes.
5 His ways (J)succeed at all times;
Yet Your judgments are on high, (K)out of his sight;
As for all his enemies, he snorts at them.
6 He says to himself, “(L)I will not be moved;
[e]Throughout the generations (M)I will not be in adversity.”
7 His (N)mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and (O)oppression;
(P)Under his tongue is harm and injustice.
8 He sits in the (Q)lurking places of the villages;
He (R)kills the innocent in the secret places;
His eyes [f]surreptitiously watch for the [g](S)unfortunate.
9 He lurks in secret like (T)a lion in his [h]lair;
He (U)lurks to catch (V)the needy;
He catches the needy when he pulls him into his (W)net.
10 Then he crushes the needy one, who cowers;
And [i]unfortunate people fall by his mighty power.
11 He (X)says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”
12 Arise, Lord; God, (Y)lift up Your hand.
(Z)Do not forget the humble.
13 Why has the wicked (AA)treated God disrespectfully?
He has said to himself, “[j]You will not require an account.”
14 You have seen it, for You have looked at (AB)harm and provocation to [k]take it into Your hand.
The [l](AC)unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the (AD)helper of the orphan.
15 (AE)Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
[m](AF)Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
16 The Lord is (AG)King forever and ever;
(AH)Nations have perished from His land.
17 Lord, You have heard the (AI)desire of the humble;
You will (AJ)strengthen their heart, (AK)You will make Your ear attentive
18 To [n]vindicate the (AL)orphan and the (AM)oppressed,
So that mankind, which is of the earth, will no longer cause (AN)terror.
16 “As for you, (A)do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me; for I am not listening to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The [a]children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven; and they (B)pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to (C)provoke Me to anger. 19 (D)Are they provoking Me?” declares the Lord. “Is it not themselves instead, to their [b]own (E)shame?” 20 Therefore this is what the Lord [c]God says: “Behold, My (F)anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, on human and animal life, and on the (G)trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; and it will burn and not be quenched.”
21 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Add your (H)burnt offerings to your sacrifices and (I)eat flesh. 22 For I did not (J)speak to your fathers, or command them on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this is [d]what I commanded them, saying, ‘(K)Obey My voice, and (L)I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk [e]entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may (M)go well for you.’ 24 Yet they (N)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and they [f](O)went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have (P)sent you all My servants the prophets, sending them daily, again and again. 26 Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but (Q)stiffened their neck; they (R)did more evil than their fathers.
Message to Philadelphia
7 “And to the angel of the church in (A)Philadelphia write:
(B)He who is holy, (C)who is true, who has (D)the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:
8 ‘(E)I know your [a]deeds. Behold, I have put before you (F)an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have followed My word, and (G)have not denied My name. 9 Behold, I [b]will make those of (H)the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them (I)come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that (J)I have loved you. 10 Because you have (K)kept (L)My [c]word of perseverance, (M)I also will keep you from the hour of the [d](N)testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole [e](O)world, to [f]test (P)those who live on the earth. 11 (Q)I am coming quickly; (R)hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your (S)crown. 12 (T)The one who overcomes, I will make him a (U)pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the (V)name of My God, and (W)the name of the city of My God, (X)the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My (Y)new name. 13 (Z)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
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