Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Book 3: Psalms 73–89
Should the Wicked Be Rich?
A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
73 ·God is truly [Surely God is] good to ·Israel [or those with integrity/virtue],
to those who have pure hearts.
2 But ·I had almost stopped believing [L as for me, my feet almost stumbled];
·I had almost lost my faith [my steps almost slipped]
3 because I was ·jealous [envious] of ·proud people [braggers; boasters].
I saw wicked people ·doing well [prospering].
4 They are not ·suffering [struggling; in pain];
·they [their bodies] are ·healthy [perfect] and strong.
5 They don’t have ·troubles [toils] like the rest of us;
they ·don’t have problems [are not plagued] like other people [Gen. 3:17–19].
6 They wear pride like a necklace
and ·put on violence as their clothing [L adorn themselves with garments of violence].
7 ·They are looking for profits [L Their eyes bulge with fat]
and ·do not control their selfish desires [cunning overflows from their hearts/minds].
8 They ·make fun of others [scoff] and speak ·evil [harm];
·proudly [from high] they speak of ·hurting [oppressing; exploiting] others.
9 They ·brag to the sky [L set their mouth against heaven].
·They say that they own [L Their tongue wanders] the earth.
10 So their people turn to them
and ·give them whatever they want [L they drink up water in abundance].
11 They say, “How can God know?
What does God Most High know?”
12 These people are wicked,
always ·at ease [carefree], and getting richer.
13 ·So why have I kept my heart pure [L In vain, I kept my heart pure…]?
·Why have I kept my hands from doing wrong [L …and washed my hands in innocence; Matt. 27:24]?
14 I ·have suffered [am plagued] all day long;
I have been ·punished [corrected] every morning.
15 God, if I had ·decided to talk like this [L said, “I will recount this,”],
I would have ·let your people down [L betrayed the generation/race of your children].
16 I ·tried [thought how] to understand all this,
but it was too ·hard [wearisome] ·for me to see [L in my eyes]
17 until I went to the ·Temple [sanctuary; Holy Place] of God.
Then I understood ·what will happen to them [L their fate/end].
18 You have put them in ·danger [L slippery places];
you cause them to ·be destroyed [L fall into disaster].
19 They are destroyed in a moment;
they are swept away by terrors.
20 It will be like waking from a dream.
Lord, when you ·rise up [awake; arouse yourself], ·they will disappear [L you despise their shadows].
11 The Lord ·hates [detests] ·dishonest [fraudulent] scales,
but he is pleased with ·honest [accurate] weights [16:11; Lev. 19:35–37; Deut. 25:13–15; Ezek. 45:10; Hos. 12:7–8].
2 ·Pride [Insolence] leads only to shame;
it is wise to be humble.
3 ·Good people [People with integrity] will be guided by ·honesty [innocence];
dishonesty will ·destroy [devastate] those who are not trustworthy.
4 Riches will not help ·when it’s time to die [L on the day of anger],
but ·right living [righteousness] will save you from death.
5 The ·goodness [righteousness] of the innocent makes ·life easier [L their path straight],
but the wicked will ·be destroyed [L fall] by their wickedness.
6 ·Doing right [Righteousness] brings freedom to ·honest people [people with integrity],
but those who are not trustworthy will be caught by their own desires.
7 When the wicked die, hope ·dies with them [perishes];
their hope in riches ·will come to nothing [perishes].
8 The ·good [righteous] person is saved from ·trouble [distress];
it comes to the wicked instead.
9 With ·words [L their mouth] an ·evil [godless] person can destroy a neighbor,
but a ·good [righteous] person will escape by ·being resourceful [L their knowledge].
10 When ·good [righteous] people ·succeed [flourish], the city is happy.
When evil people ·die [perish], there are shouts of joy.
11 ·Good [Righteous] people bless and build up their city,
but the wicked can ·destroy [demolish] it with their ·words [L mouth].
12 People ·without good sense [who lack sense/heart] ·find fault with [despise; belittle] their neighbors,
but those with understanding keep quiet.
13 Gossips ·can’t keep [L go/walk around revealing] secrets,
but a trustworthy person ·can [keeps a confidence; L covers up a word].
14 Without ·leadership [guidance] a ·nation [people] falls,
but ·lots of good advice [L an abundance of counselors] will ·save it [bring victory; Eccl. 9:13–15].
15 Whoever guarantees to pay somebody else’s loan will suffer.
It is safer to avoid such promises.
16 A ·kind [gracious] woman gets ·respect [honor],
but ·cruel [violent] men get only wealth.
17 ·Kind [or Loyal] people ·do themselves a favor [benefit themselves],
but cruel people ·bring trouble on themselves [L harm their own bodies].
18 An evil person ·really earns nothing [gets false/deceptive wages],
but a ·good [righteous] person will surely be rewarded.
19 Those who are ·truly good [righteous] will live,
but those who chase after evil will die.
20 The Lord ·hates [detests] those with ·evil [crooked] hearts
but is pleased with those who are innocent on the path.
21 Evil people will certainly be punished,
but ·those who do right [L the children of the righteous] will be set free.
22 A beautiful woman without ·good sense [discretion]
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
23 Those who do right only wish for good,
but the wicked can ·expect to be defeated by God’s [L hope only for] anger.
24 Some people give much but get back even more.
Others don’t give what they should and end up poor.
25 Whoever ·gives to others will get richer [or blesses others will be refreshed];
those who ·help [satisfy] others will themselves be ·helped [satisfied].
26 People curse those who keep all the grain,
but they bless the one who is willing to sell it.
27 Whoever looks for good will find ·kindness [favor],
but whoever looks for evil will find trouble.
28 Those who trust in riches will ·be ruined [L fall],
but a good person will ·be healthy [flourish] like a green leaf.
29 Whoever brings trouble to his family
will ·be left with nothing but the [L inherit the] wind.
A fool will be a servant to the wise of heart.
30 ·A good person gives life to others [L The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life];
the wise person ·teaches others how to live [gathers lives/souls].
31 If ·good [righteous] people will get their due on earth,
How much more the wicked and the sinners.
3 Think about Jesus, who endured such ·hostility [opposition] from sinful people, so that you will not ·get tired [grow weary; get discouraged] and ·stop trying [give up].
God Is like a Father
4 You are struggling against sin, but your ·struggles [resistance; opposition] have not yet ·caused you to be killed [resulted in bloodshed/L blood]. 5 ·You have forgotten [or Have you forgotten…?] the ·encouraging words [exhortation] that ·call you his [or address you as] ·children [or sons]:
“My ·child [or son], don’t ·think the Lord’s discipline is worth nothing [scorn/treat lightly/make light of the Lord’s discipline],
and don’t ·stop trying [get discouraged] when he ·corrects [rebukes] you.
6 [L For; Because] The Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he ·punishes [chastises; severely disciplines] everyone he accepts as his child [Prov. 3:11–12].”
7 ·So hold on through your sufferings, because they are like a father’s discipline [L Persevere in discipline]. God is treating you as ·children [or sons]. ·All children are [L For what child/son is not…?] disciplined by their fathers. 8 If you are never disciplined (and every ·child [or son] must be disciplined), you are ·not true children [L illegitimate and not (true) children/sons]. 9 [Furthermore; Moreover] We have all had ·fathers [or parents] here on earth who disciplined us, and we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from ·the Father of our spirits [or our spiritual Father; or the Father of all spirit beings; 12:23; Num. 16:22] so we will have [C eternal or true spiritual] life. 10 ·Our fathers on earth [L They] disciplined us for a short time in the way they thought was best. But God disciplines us ·to help us [for our good/benefit], so we can ·become holy as he is [L share in his holiness]. 11 We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have ·learned from [been trained by] it, ·we have peace [L it produces/bears the fruit of peace], ·because we start living in the right way [or …and righteousness].
Be Careful How You Live
12 ·You have become weak, so make yourselves strong again [L Therefore, strengthen your drooping arms/hands and your weak/disabled knees; Is. 35:3]. 13 ·Keep on the right path [L Make straight/clear paths for your feet; Prov. 4:27], so the ·weak [lame] will not ·stumble [be disabled; put out of joint] but rather be ·strengthened [healed].
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