Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 142[a]
Prayer in Time of Abandonment
1 A maskil[b] of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.
2 [c]I cry out to the Lord with my plea;
I entreat the Lord to grant me mercy.
3 Before him I pour out my complaint
and tell my troubles in his presence.
4 [d]No matter how faint my spirit is within me,
you are there to guide my steps.
Along the path on which I travel[e]
they have hidden a trap for me.
5 I look to my right,
but there is no friend who knows me.
There is no refuge available to me;
no one cares whether I live or perish.[f]
6 [g]I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”[h]
7 Listen to my plea for help,
for I am in desperate straits.
Rescue me from those who seek to persecute me,
for they are too strong for me.[i]
8 Set me free from my prison,[j]
so that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will assemble around me
because of your great generosity to me.
Against Edom.[a] 7 In regard to Edom, thus says the Lord of hosts:
Can wisdom no longer be found in Teman?
Has counsel ceased to exist in the prudent?
Has their wisdom become a thing of the past?
8 Turn away and flee, O inhabitants of Dedan;
seek refuge in remote locales.
For I will inflict retribution on Esau
when I decide upon the time to punish him.
9 If those who gather grapes were to come upon you,
would they not leave behind some gleanings?
If thieves came during the night,
would they not steal only what they wanted?
10 But I for my part will strip Esau bare;
I will discover his hiding places,
and he will have nowhere to conceal himself.
His children will perish,
as will his relatives and neighbors,
and he will be no more.
11 Leave behind your orphans;
I will support them,
and your widows will place their trust in me.
17 The Newness of the Christian Life. Therefore, I declare and attest in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and their hardness of heart. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have abandoned themselves to vice, committing every kind of impurity in growing excess.
20 That is not how you learned Christ. 21 Clearly, you were told about him and were taught what the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to cast aside the old self of your former way of life that had been corrupted by its captivating desires. 23 You are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self created in God’s image, in the way of uprightness and holiness that belong to the truth.
25 A Life Based on Love. Therefore, cease your lying and speak the truth to each other, for we are all members of one another. 26 If you are angry, do not sin. Do not let the sun set on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opening. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must no longer do so; rather, let him labor, performing some honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with those in need.
29 Let no foul word ever pass your lips. Say only what is useful for edification, so that your words may benefit your listeners. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for the day of redemption. 31 Remove all forms of bitterness and wrath and anger and shouting and slander, as well as all malice from your lives. 32 Rather, be kind to one another and compassionate, and forgive one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Chapter 5
1 Hence, be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a sacrificial offering whose fragrance is pleasing to God.
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