Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Protestation of Integrity and Prayer for Protection.
A Psalm of David.
26 [a](A)Vindicate me, Lord, for I have (B)walked in my integrity,
And I have (C)trusted in the Lord [b](D)without wavering.
2 (E)Examine me, Lord, and put me to the test;
(F)Refine my [c]mind and my heart.
3 For Your [d](G)goodness is before my eyes,
And I have (H)walked in Your truth.
4 I do not (I)sit with [e]deceitful people,
Nor will I go with [f](J)pretenders.
5 I (K)hate the assembly of evildoers,
And I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will (L)wash my hands in innocence,
And I will go around (M)Your altar, Lord,
7 That I may proclaim with the voice of (N)thanksgiving
And declare all Your [g]wonders.
8 Lord, I (O)love the dwelling of Your house,
And the place [h]where Your (P)glory remains.
9 (Q)Do not [i]take my soul away along with sinners,
Nor my life with (R)men of bloodshed,
10 In whose hands is a (S)wicked scheme,
And whose right hand is full of (T)bribes.
11 But as for me, I will (U)walk in my integrity;
(V)Redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 (W)My foot stands on (X)level ground;
In the (Y)congregations I will bless the Lord.
11 Now when Job’s three friends heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, they came, each one from his own place—Eliphaz the (A)Temanite, Bildad the (B)Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to (C)sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they [a]looked from a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them (D)tore his robe, and they (E)threw dust over their heads toward the sky. 13 (F)Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
Job’s Lament
3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed [b]the day of his birth. 2 And Job [c]said,
3 “(G)May the day on which I was to be born perish,
As well as the night which said, ‘A [d]boy is conceived.’
4 May that day be darkness;
May God above not care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5 May (H)darkness and black gloom claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice among the days of the year;
May it not come into the number of the months.
7 Behold, may that night be barren;
May no joyful shout enter it.
8 May those curse it who curse the day,
Who are [e]prepared to (I)disturb Leviathan.
9 May the stars of its twilight be darkened;
May it wait for light but have none,
And may it not see the [f]breaking dawn;
10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “(J)Why did I not die [g]at birth,
Come out of the womb and pass away?
12 Why were the knees there in front of me,
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
13 For now I (K)would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14 With (L)kings and (M)counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt (N)ruins for themselves;
15 Or with (O)rulers (P)who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16 Or like a miscarriage which is [h]hidden, I would not exist,
As infants that never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the [i]weary are at (Q)rest.
18 The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is (R)light given to one burdened with grief,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who [j](S)long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for (T)hidden treasures;
22 Who are filled with jubilation,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man (U)whose way is hidden,
And whom (V)God has shut off?
24 For (W)my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And (X)my cries pour out like water.
25 For [k](Y)what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread [l]encounters me.
26 I (Z)am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”
23 But before faith came, [a]we were kept in custody under the Law, (A)being confined for the faith that was destined to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our [b](B)guardian to lead us to Christ, so that (C)we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a [c](D)guardian. 26 For you are all (E)sons and daughters of God through faith in (F)Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were (G)baptized into Christ have (H)clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 (I)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is [d]neither male nor female; for (J)you are all one in (K)Christ Jesus. 29 And if (L)you [e]belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s [f]descendants, heirs according to (M)promise.
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