Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
21 I was very upset,
and my thoughts were confused.
22 I was stupid,
and I did not understand you properly.
I was no better than an animal.
23 But I am always near to you.
You hold my right hand,
as my guide.
24 You teach me the right way to go,
and you will lead me to glory.[a]
25 You are the only one in heaven or on earth
that I need to help me.
You are the only one that I want.
26 My body and my mind may become weak,
but God will always keep me safe and strong.
27 Those people who stay far away from you will die.
You destroy everybody who turns away from you.
28 But as for me, it is good for me to stay near to God.
I have gone to the Almighty Lord
as the place where I can be safe.
I will tell people about the great things that you have done.
29 You may warn a proud person many times, but he will not listen to you.
Trouble will suddenly happen to him and he will not escape.
2 When righteous people are doing well, everyone is happy.
But when wicked people rule, everyone is sad.
3 A man who loves wisdom makes his father happy.
But anyone who is a friend of prostitutes is wasting his father's money.
4 A king who rules with justice makes his country strong.
But a king who takes lots of taxes destroys his country.
5 If you always praise your friends with sweet words,
that will be a trap that you walk into yourself.
6 The sin of an evil person becomes a trap that catches him.
But a righteous person sings with joy.
7 Righteous people want poor people to receive justice.
But wicked people do not understand things like that.
8 People who insult their friends bring trouble to a city.
But wise people stop arguments.
9 If a wise person accuses a foolish person in court,
there will be no agreement.
The fool will only laugh or he will become angry.
10 Murderers hate honest people.
They try to kill any good person.
11 Foolish people cannot control their anger.
But wise people are patient.
12 When a ruler listens to lies,
all his officers will be wicked.
13 The Lord gives light to all people so that they can see.
He does that for poor people and also those who are cruel to them.
14 If a king judges poor people in a true way,
he will always have the power to rule.
15 If you want your children to be wise,
warn them and punish them when they do wrong things.
If you let them do anything that they want to do,
they will make their mother ashamed.
16 When wicked people receive more power, there is also more sin.
But those wicked people will fall while righteous people watch.
17 Warn your children when they do wrong things,
so that you have peace in your mind.
They will make you very happy.
18 If people do not hear God's message,
there is no law to control them.
But if someone obeys God's law,
he is in a happy place.
19 You must use more than words to show a servant what is right.
Even if he understands what you say, he will not obey you.
20 Do you know anyone who speaks before he thinks?
A foolish person is more likely to become wise than that person.
21 You may give a servant everything that he wants from his birth.
But if you do that, he will be useless in the end.
22 An angry person causes arguments.
When he is angry, he causes many sins to happen.
23 A person's pride will bring shame to him.
But a humble person will receive honour.
24 If you help a robber, you are bringing punishment on yourself.
If you tell the truth in court, or if you keep quiet,
you will receive your punishment.[a]
25 If you are afraid of what people think about you,
you will never feel safe.
But if you trust in the Lord,
he will keep you safe.
26 Many people want the king to be their friend.
But only the Lord can give you true justice.
27 Righteous people hate wicked people.
Wicked people also hate people who live in a good way.
The people talk about whether Jesus is the Messiah
25 Some of the people in Jerusalem began to say, ‘This is the man that our leaders want to kill. 26 But look! He is speaking to the crowds, and the leaders are not saying anything against him! Perhaps they really think that he is the Messiah! 27 But we know where this man came from. When the Messiah comes, nobody will know that. Nobody will know where he has come from.’
28 Jesus was still teaching in the yard of the temple. He shouted, ‘Yes, you say that you know me. And you know where I came from. But I have not come because I myself decided to come. He who sent me is true. You do not know him. 29 But I know him because I have come from him. He is the one who sent me.’ 30 When they heard this, they tried to take hold of him. But nobody could put their hands on him, because it was not yet the right time. 31 But many people in the crowd believed in Jesus. They said, ‘This man has done so many miracles. Surely he is the Messiah! Nobody could do more miracles than he has done.’
32 The Pharisees heard what these people were saying quietly about Jesus. Then the leaders of the priests and the Pharisees sent some of their officers to take him away.
33 Jesus said, ‘I will be with you for only a short time. Then I will return to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you will not find me. You cannot go to the place where I will be.’ 35 The Jewish leaders asked each other, ‘What is he trying to tell us? Where can he go so that we cannot find him? Perhaps he will go to our people who have gone away to live among the Greek people.[a] Perhaps he will go to teach the Greek people. 36 He said, “You will look for me, but you will not find me.” And he also said, “You cannot go to the place where I will be.” What does he mean?’
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