Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
21 When my heart was filled with bitterness
and my mind was seized ⌞with envy⌟,
22 I was stupid, and I did not understand.
I was like a dumb animal in your presence.
23 Yet, I am always with you.
You hold on to my right hand.
24 With your advice you guide me,
and in the end you will take me to glory.
25 As long as I have you,
I don’t need anyone else in heaven or on earth.
26 My body and mind may waste away,
but God remains the foundation of my life
and my inheritance forever.
27 Without a doubt, those who are far from you will die.
You destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 Being united with God is my highest good.
I have made the Almighty Lord my refuge
so that I may report everything that he has done.
29 A person who will not bend after many warnings
will suddenly be broken beyond repair.
2 When righteous people increase, the people ⌞of God⌟ rejoice,
but when a wicked person rules, everybody groans.
3 A person who loves wisdom makes his father happy,
but one who pays prostitutes wastes his wealth.
4 By means of justice, a king builds up a country,
but a person who confiscates religious contributions tears it down.
5 A person who flatters his neighbor
is spreading a net for him to step into.
6 To an evil person sin is bait in a trap,
but a righteous person runs away from it and is glad.
7 A righteous person knows the just cause of the poor.
A wicked person does not understand this.
8 Mockers create an uproar in a city,
but wise people turn away anger.
9 When a wise person goes to court with a stubborn fool,
he may rant and rave,
but there is no peace and quiet.
10 Bloodthirsty people hate an innocent person,
but decent people seek ⌞to protect⌟ his life.
11 A fool expresses all his emotions,
but a wise person controls them.
12 If a ruler pays attention to lies,
all his servants become wicked.
13 A poor person and an oppressor have this in common:
The Lord gives both of them sight.
14 When a king judges the poor with honesty,
his throne will always be secure.
15 A spanking and a warning produce wisdom,
but an undisciplined child disgraces his mother.
16 When wicked people increase, crime increases,
but righteous people will witness their downfall.
17 Correct your son, and he will give you peace of mind.
He will bring delight to your soul.
18 Without prophetic vision people run wild,
but blessed are those who follow ⌞God’s⌟ teachings.
19 A slave cannot be disciplined with words.
He will not respond, though he may understand.
20 Have you met a person who is quick to answer?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
21 Pamper a slave from childhood,
and later he will be ungrateful.
22 An angry person stirs up a fight,
and a hothead does much wrong.
23 A person’s pride will humiliate him,
but a humble spirit gains honor.
24 Whoever is a thief’s partner hates his own life.
He will not testify under oath.
25 A person’s fear sets a trap ⌞for him⌟,
but one who trusts the Lord is safe.
26 Many seek an audience with a ruler,
but justice for humanity comes from the Lord.
27 An unjust person is disgusting to righteous people.
A decent person is disgusting to wicked people.
25 Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem said, “Isn’t this the man they want to kill? 26 But look at this! He’s speaking in public, and no one is saying anything to him! Can it be that the rulers really know that this man is the Messiah? 27 However, we know where this man comes from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
28 Then, while Jesus was teaching in the temple courtyard, he said loudly, “You know me, and you know where I come from. I didn’t decide to come on my own. The one who sent me is true. He’s the one you don’t know. 29 I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”
30 The Jews tried to arrest him but couldn’t because his time had not yet come.
31 However, many people in the crowd believed in him. They asked, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd saying things like this about him. So the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest Jesus.
33 Jesus said, “I will still be with you for a little while. Then I’ll go to the one who sent me. 34 You will look for me, but you won’t find me. You can’t go where I’m going.”
35 The Jews said among themselves, “Where does this man intend to go so that we won’t find him? Does he mean that he’ll live with the Jews who are scattered among the Greeks and that he’ll teach the Greeks? 36 What does he mean when he says, ‘You will look for me, but you won’t find me,’ and ‘You can’t go where I’m going’?”
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