Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Human Beings Live and Die
14 Human beings born by women
are short-lived[a] and full of trouble.
2 He springs up[b] like a flower and then withers.[c]
Like a shadow, he disappears[d] and doesn’t last.
3 Indeed, have you opened your eyes on one like this—
to bring me into a legal fight with you?
4 Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean thing?
No one!
5 Since his days have been determined,
the number of his months is known to you.
You’ve set his limit
and he cannot exceed it.
6 Look away from him and leave him alone,
so he can enjoy his time, like a hired worker.”
Death is Certain
7 “There is hope for the tree, if it is cut down,
that it will sprout again,
and that its shoots won’t stop growing.
8 Even if its roots have grown ancient in the earth,
and its stump begins to rot[e] in the ground,
9 the presence[f] of water will make it to bud
so that it sprouts new branches like a young plant.
10 “But when a person[g] dies and wastes away,
when a person[h] breathes his last, where will he be?
11 As water disappears from the sea,
or water evaporates from a river,
12 so also a person[i] lies down and does not get up;
they won’t awaken until the heavens are no more,
nor will they arise from their sleep.”
There is Life after Death
The Lord’s Purposes for Affliction
3 I am a man familiar with affliction—
under the rod of God’s[a] anger.
2 He has led me—brought me
into darkness, not into light.
3 He truly turned his hand against me,
again and again, all day long.
4 He made my flesh and skin prematurely old;
he broke my bones.
5 He laid siege against me,
surrounding me with bitterness and suffering.
6 He has forced me to live in darkness,
like those who are long dead.
7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he placed heavy chains on me.
8 Indeed, when I cry out, calling for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
9 He impeded my way with blocks of stone,
making my paths uneven.
19 Remember my affliction and homelessness—
wormwood and gall!
20 My mind keeps reflecting on it,
and I become depressed.[a]
21 This is what comes to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s gracious love we are not consumed,
since his compassions never end.
23 They are new every morning—
great is your faithfulness!
24 “The Lord is all I have,”[b] says my soul,
“Therefore I will trust in him.”
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
Prayer and Thanksgiving
31 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge.
Let me never be ashamed.
Because you are righteous, deliver me!
2 Listen to me,
and deliver me quickly.
Become a rock of safety for me,
a fortified citadel to deliver me;
3 For you are my rock and my fortress;
for the sake of your name guide me and lead me.
4 Rescue me from the net that they concealed to trap me;
for you are my strength.
15 My times are in your hands.
Deliver me from the hands of my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
16 May your face shine on your servant;
in your gracious love, deliver me.
Good Managers of God’s Grace
4 Therefore, since the Messiah[a] suffered in a mortal body,[b] you, too, must arm yourselves with the same determination, because the person who has suffered in a mortal body has stopped sinning, 2 so that he can live the rest of his mortal life[c] guided, not by human desires, but by the will of God. 3 For you spent enough time in the past doing what the gentiles like to do, living in sensuality, sinful desires, drunkenness, wild celebrations, drinking parties, and detestable idolatry. 4 They insult you now because they are surprised that you are no longer joining them in the same excesses of wild living. 5 They will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 Indeed, this is why the gospel was proclaimed even to those who have died, so that they could be judged in their mortal flesh like all humans and live in the spiritual realm like God.
7 Because everything will soon come to an end, be sensible and clear-headed, so you can pray. 8 Above all, continue to love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Jesus is Buried(A)
57 Later that evening, a rich man arrived from Arimathea. His name was Joseph, and he had become a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered it to be done. 59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60 Then he placed it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out of the rock. After rolling a large stone across the door of the tomb, he left, 61 but Mary Magdalene[a] and the other Mary remained there, sitting in front of the tomb.
The Tomb is Secured
62 The following day (that is, after the Day of Preparation), the high priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘I will be raised after three days.’ 64 Therefore, order the tomb to be secured until the third day, or his disciples may go and steal him and then tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ Then the last deception would be worse than the first one.”
65 Pilate told them, “You have[b] a military guard. Go and make the tomb[c] as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and secured the tomb by putting a seal on the stone in the presence of the guards.
Jesus is Buried(A)
38 Later on, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders),[a] asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, and he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, the man who had first come to Jesus at night, also arrived, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about 100 litra.[b] 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths along with spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 A garden was located in the place where he was crucified, and in that garden was a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. 42 Because it was the Jewish Preparation Day, and because the tomb was nearby, they put Jesus there.
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