Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [a]Maskil of David.
55 (A)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And (B)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give (C)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my (D)complaint and [b](E)am surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the (F)pressure of the wicked;
For they (G)bring down [c]trouble upon me
And in anger they (H)bear a grudge against me.
4 My (I)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of (J)death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and (K)trembling come upon me,
And [d](L)horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and [e](M)be at rest.
7 “Behold, I would wander far away,
I would (N)lodge in the wilderness. [f]Selah.
8 “I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the (O)stormy wind and tempest.”
9 [g]Confuse, O Lord, (P)divide their tongues,
For I have seen (Q)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11 (R)Destruction is in her midst;
(S)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her [h]streets.
12 For it is (T)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who (U)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man [i]my equal,
My (V)companion and my [j](W)familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet [k]fellowship together
(X)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let [l]death come (Y)deceitfully upon them;
Let them (Z)go down alive to [m]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.
Zophar Rebukes Job
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite [a]answered,
2 “Shall a multitude of words go unanswered,
And a (A)talkative man be acquitted?
3 “Shall your boasts silence men?
And shall you (B)scoff and none rebuke?
4 “For (C)you have said, ‘My teaching is pure,
And (D)I am innocent in your eyes.’
5 “But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,
6 And show you the secrets of wisdom!
For sound wisdom [b](E)has two sides.
Know then that God [c]forgets a part of (F)your iniquity.
7 “(G)Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
8 “They are (H)high as [d]the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than [e](I)Sheol, what can you know?
9 “Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
10 “If He passes by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, (J)who can restrain Him?
11 “For (K)He knows false men,
And He (L)sees iniquity [f]without investigating.
12 “[g](M)An idiot will become intelligent
When the [h]foal of a (N)wild donkey is born a man.
13 “(O)If you would (P)direct your heart right
And (Q)spread out your hand to Him,
14 If iniquity is in your hand, (R)put it far away,
And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15 “Then, indeed, you could (S)lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and (T)not fear.
16 “For you would (U)forget your trouble,
As (V)waters that have passed by, you would remember it.
17 “Your [i]life would be [j](W)brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.
18 “Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.
19 “You would (X)lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would (Y)entreat your [k]favor.
20 “But the (Z)eyes of the wicked will fail,
And [l]there will (AA)be no escape for them;
And their (AB)hope is [m](AC)to breathe their last.”
10 But to the married I give instructions, (A)not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not [a]leave her husband 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not [b]divorce his wife.
12 But to the rest (B)I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not [c]divorce her. 13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not [d]send her husband away. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through [e]her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are (C)holy. 15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called [f]us [g](D)to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will (E)save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?
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