Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
In My Distress I Sought the Lord
For the choir director. According to [a]Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A Psalm.
77 My voice rises to God, and I must (A)cry aloud;
My voice rises to God, and He will hear me.
2 In the (B)day of my distress I sought the Lord;
(C)In the night my (D)hand was stretched out [b]without weariness;
My soul (E)refused to be comforted.
3 I remember God and I am (F)disturbed;
I (G)muse and (H)my spirit faints. [c]Selah.
4 You have held my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I (I)cannot speak.
5 I give thought to the (J)days of old,
The years of long ago.
6 I remember my (K)music in the night;
I (L)am musing with my heart,
And my spirit is searching:
7 Will the Lord (M)reject evermore?
And will He (N)not be favorable again?
8 Has His (O)lovingkindness ceased forever?
Has His [d](P)word ended [e]from generation to generation?
9 Has God (Q)forgotten to be gracious,
Or has He in anger shut up His (R)compassion? Selah.
10 Then I said, “(S)It is my [f]grief,
That the (T)right hand of the Most High has changed.”
11 I shall remember the (U)deeds of Yah;
Surely I will (V)remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will (W)meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds.
13 O God, Your way is (X)holy;
(Y)What god is great like God?
14 You are the (Z)God who works wonders;
You have (AA)made known Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have by Your arm (AB)redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and (AC)Joseph. Selah.
16 The (AD)waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were in anguish;
The deeps also trembled.
17 The (AE)clouds poured out water;
The skies (AF)gave forth a sound;
Your (AG)arrows went here and there.
18 The (AH)sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The (AI)lightnings lit up the world;
The (AJ)earth trembled and shook.
19 Your (AK)way was in the sea
And Your paths in the mighty waters,
But Your footprints were not known.
20 You (AL)led Your people like a flock
By the hand of (AM)Moses and Aaron.
8 “But as for me, I would (A)seek God,
And I would set my cause before God,
9 Who (B)does great and unsearchable things,
[a]Wonders without number.
10 He (C)gives rain on the earth
And sends water on the fields outside,
11 So that (D)He sets on high those who are lowly,
And those who mourn are lifted to salvation.
12 He (E)frustrates the thoughts of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot attain success of sound wisdom.
13 He (F)catches the wise by their own craftiness,
And the counsel of the twisted is quickly thwarted.
14 By day they (G)meet with darkness
And grope at noon as in the night.
15 But He saves from (H)the sword of their mouth,
And (I)the needy from the hand of the strong.
16 So the poor has hope,
And (J)unrighteousness must shut its mouth.
17 “Behold, how (K)blessed is the man whom God reproves,
So do not reject the (L)discipline of the [b]Almighty.
18 For (M)He inflicts pain and [c]gives relief;
He [d]wounds, and His hands also heal.
19 [e]From six distresses (N)He will deliver you,
Even in seven (O)evil will not touch you.
20 In (P)famine He will redeem you from death,
And (Q)in war from hands with swords.
21 You will be (R)hidden from the scourge of the tongue,
(S)And you will not be afraid of devastation when it comes.
22 You will (T)laugh at devastation and starvation,
(U)And you will not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 For your covenant will be with the stones of the field,
And (V)the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 You will know that your (W)tent is at peace,
For you will visit your abode and fear no loss.
25 You will know also that your (X)seed will be many,
And (Y)your offspring as the vegetation of the land.
26 You will (Z)come to the grave in full vigor,
Like the stacking of grain in its season.
27 Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is.
Hear it, and know for yourself.”
8 [a]Now to sum up, (A)all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, (B)brotherly, (C)tender-hearted, and (D)humble in spirit; 9 (E)not returning evil for evil or (F)reviling for reviling, but [b]giving a (G)blessing instead, for (H)you were called for the very purpose that you might (I)inherit a blessing. 10 For,
“(J)The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
11 (K)He must turn away from evil and do good;
He must seek peace and pursue it.
12 (L)For the eyes of the [c]Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the [d]Lord is against those who do evil.”
Suffering for Righteousness
13 (M)And who is [e]there to [f]harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should (N)suffer for the sake of righteousness, (O)you [g]are blessed. (P)And do not fear their fear, and do not be troubled, 15 but [h]sanctify (Q)Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready (R)to make [i]a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the (S)hope that is in you, yet (T)with gentleness and (U)fear, 16 having a (V)good conscience so that in the thing in which (W)you are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For (X)it is better, (Y)if [j]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing good rather than for doing wrong. 18 For (Z)Christ also suffered for sins (AA)once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might (AB)bring you to God, having been put to death (AC)in the flesh, but made alive (AD)in the [k]spirit;
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