Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God Is the Strength of My Heart
Psalm 73
1 A psalm of Asaph.
Surely God is good to Israel,
to the pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet almost slipped.
My steps nearly slid out from under me.
3 For I envied the arrogant,
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no pains at their death,
their body is healthy.
5 They have none of humanity’s trouble,
nor are they plagued like others.
6 Therefore, they put on pride as a necklace,
and violence wraps around them like a garment.
7 Their eyes bulge out from fatness.
The imaginations of their hearts run wild.
8 They scoff and wickedly plan evil.
From on high they threaten.
9 They set their mouth against heaven.
Their tongue struts through the earth.
10 Therefore His people return here,
while they drink their fill.
11 So they say: “How does God know?
And does Elyon have knowledge?”
12 Behold, such are the wicked—
always at ease and amassing wealth.
13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure,
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day I have been stricken,
my chastisement comes every morning.
15 If I had said: “I will speak thus,”
surely I would have betrayed a generation of Your children.
16 But when I tried to make sense of this,
it was troubling in my eyes—
17 until I entered the Sanctuary of God,
and perceived their end.
18 Surely You put them in slippery places.
You hurled them down to destruction.
19 How suddenly they became a ruin—
terminated, consumed by terrors.
20 Like a dream when one awakes,
thus when You arise, my Lord,
You will despise their form.
Integrity of Scales and Soul
11 Dishonest scales are an abomination to Adonai,
but an accurate weight is His delight.
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom.
3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.
4 Riches make no profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless man makes his way straight,
but the wicked man is brought down by his wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are trapped by their desire.
Righteousness Builds Up a City
7 When the wicked dies, his hope perishes,
and the hope of the strong vanishes.
8 The righteous is rescued from trouble.
Instead it comes on the wicked.
9 With his mouth the ungodly destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
10 When the righteous do well, a city rejoices.
When the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
12 One who despises his neighbor lacks sense,
but one with discernment remains silent.
13 A gossip reveals secrets,
but one who is trustworthy conceals a matter.
14 Without guidance people fall,
with many counselors there is deliverance.
15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will have trouble,
but whoever avoids shaking hands on such a deal is secure.
Rewards for Righteous or Ruthless
16 A gracious woman gains honor,
but ruthless men seize riches.
17 A kind man does his own soul good,
but a cruel man harms his own flesh.
18 The wicked earn deceptive wages,
but a sower of righteousness reaps a true reward.
19 Steadfast righteousness leads to life,
but pursuing evil ends in death.
20 Perverse hearts are an abomination to Adonai.
His favor is on those blameless in their ways.
21 Be sure,[a] the evil will not go unpunished,
but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is only good,
but the hope of the wicked only wrath.
24 One gives freely, yet gains even more.
Another withholds unjustly, and comes to poverty.
25 A soul who blesses will prosper,
and one who gives water will himself be satisfied.
26 People curse anyone withholding grain,
but blessing is on the head of one who dispenses it.
27 A person who diligently seeks good finds favor,
but to one who searches for evil, evil comes to him!
28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit wind,
and the fool will be a servant to the wise-hearted.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever wins souls is wise.
31 If the righteous is rewarded on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner![b]
[a] 3 Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and lose heart.
4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed. 5 Have you forgotten the warning addressed to you as sons?
“My son, do not take lightly the discipline of Adonai
or lose heart when you are corrected by Him,
6 because Adonai disciplines the one He loves
and punishes every son He accepts.”[b]
7 It is for discipline that you endure. God is treating you as sons—for what son does a father not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline—something all have come to share—then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Besides, we are used to having human fathers as instructors—and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 Indeed, for a short time they disciplined us as seemed best to them; but He does so for our benefit, so that we may share in His holiness. 11 Now all discipline seems painful at the moment—not joyful. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble! [c] 13 And make straight paths for your feet,[d] so that what is lame will not be pulled out of joint but rather be healed.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.