Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
21 When my (A)heart was embittered
And I was (B)pierced [a]within,
22 Then I was (C)senseless and ignorant;
I was like [b]an (D)animal [c]before You.
23 Nevertheless (E)I am continually with You;
You have taken hold of my right hand.
24 With Your counsel You will (F)lead me,
And afterward (G)take me [d]in glory.
25 (H)Whom have I in heaven but You?
And [e]besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26 My (I)flesh and my heart fail,
But God is the rock of my heart and my (J)portion forever.
27 For, behold, (K)those who are far from You will (L)perish;
You have [f]destroyed everyone who [g](M)is unfaithful to You.
28 But as for me, (N)the nearness of God is my good;
I have set Lord Yahweh as my (O)refuge,
That I may (P)recount all Your works.
Analogies of Wisdom
25 These also are (A)proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, transcribed.
2 It is the glory of God to (B)conceal a matter,
But the glory of (C)kings is to search out a matter.
3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.
4 Take away the (D)dross from the silver,
And there comes out a vessel for the (E)smith;
5 Take away the (F)wicked before the king,
And his (G)throne will be established in righteousness.
6 Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king,
And in the place of great men do not stand;
7 For (H)it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of a noble,
Whom your eyes have seen.
8 Do not go out (I)hastily to plead your case;
Lest, what will you do in [a]the end,
When your neighbor humiliates you?
9 (J)Plead your case with your neighbor,
And (K)do not reveal the secret of another,
10 Lest he who hears it bring disgrace upon you,
And the bad report about you will not turn away.
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a (L)word spoken in [b]right circumstances.
12 Like [c]an (M)earring of gold and an (N)ornament of (O)fine gold
Is a wise reprover to a (P)listening ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in the [d]time of harvest
Is a (Q)faithful envoy to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Like (R)clouds and (S)wind without rain
Is a man who boasts [e]of his gifts falsely.
15 (T)When one is slow to anger, a ruler may be persuaded,
And a soft tongue breaks the bone.
16 Have you (U)found honey? Eat only enough for you,
Lest you have more than your fill and vomit it.
17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house,
Lest he have more than his fill of you and hate you.
18 Like a club and a (V)sword and a sharp (W)arrow
Is a man who bears [f](X)false witness against his neighbor.
19 Like [g]an aching tooth and a slipping foot
Is trust in a (Y)treacherous man in a day of distress.
20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on [h]soda,
Is he who sings songs to [i]an aching heart.
21 (Z)If [j]your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For you will [k]heap burning coals on his head,
And (AA)Yahweh will repay you.
23 The north wind brings forth rain,
And a (AB)tongue of secrets, an indignant face.
24 It is (AC)better to live in a corner of the roof
Than [l]in a house shared with a contentious woman.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul,
So is a (AD)good report from a distant land.
26 Like a (AE)muddied spring and a corrupted well
Is a righteous man shaking before the wicked.
27 To eat too much honey is not good,
Nor is it glory to (AF)search out [m]one’s own glory.
28 Like a (AG)city that is broken into and without a wall
Is a man (AH)without restraint over his spirit.
Put On the New Man
3 Therefore, if you have been (A)raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, (B)seated at the right hand of God. 2 [a](C)Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you (D)died and your life has been hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, (E)who is our life, is manifested, (F)then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.
5 (G)Therefore, [b]consider (H)the members of your earthly body as dead to (I)sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these things, (J)the wrath of God is coming [c]upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and (K)in them you also once walked, when you were living [d]in them. 8 But now you also, (L)lay them all aside: (M)wrath, anger, malice, slander, and (N)abusive speech from your mouth. 9 [e](O)Do not lie to one another, since you (P)put off the old man with its evil practices, 10 and have (Q)put on the new man who is being [f](R)renewed to a full knowledge (S)according to the image of the One who (T)created him— 11 a renewal in which (U)there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, (V)circumcised and uncircumcised, [g](W)barbarian, Scythian, (X)slave, and freeman, but (Y)Christ is all and in all.
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