Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.
For the music director; upon [a]Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
22 (A)My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
(B)Far from my [b]help are the words of my [c](C)groaning.
2 My God, I (D)cry out by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but [d]I have no rest.
3 Yet (E)You are holy,
You who [e]are enthroned upon (F)the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers (G)trusted;
They trusted and You (H)rescued them.
5 To You they cried out and they fled to safety;
(I)In You they trusted and were not [f]disappointed.
6 But I am a (J)worm and not a person,
A (K)disgrace of mankind and (L)despised by the people.
7 All who see me (M)deride me;
They [g]sneer, they (N)shake their heads, saying,
8 “[h]Turn [i]him over to the Lord; (O)let Him save him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
9 Yet You are He who (P)brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon You (Q)from [j]birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
11 (R)Do not be far from me, for [k]trouble is near;
For there is (S)no one to help.
12 Many (T)bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of (U)Bashan have encircled me.
13 They (V)open their mouths wide at me,
As a ravening and roaring (W)lion.
14 I am (X)poured out like water,
And all my (Y)bones are out of joint;
My (Z)heart is like wax;
It is melted within [l]me.
15 My (AA)strength is dried up like a piece of pottery,
And (AB)my tongue clings to my jaws;
And You (AC)lay me [m]in the dust of death.
Bildad Speaks of the Wicked
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we (A)regarded as animals,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 [a]You who tear yourself in your anger—
Should the earth be abandoned for your sake,
Or the rock moved from its place?
5 “Indeed, the (B)light of the wicked goes out,
And the spark from his fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent is (C)darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 His [b]vigorous stride is shortened,
And his (D)own plan brings him down.
8 For he is (E)thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
9 A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the pathway.
11 All around (F)sudden terrors frighten him,
And (G)harass him at every step.
12 His strength is (H)famished,
And disaster is ready at his side.
13 [c]It devours parts of his skin,
The firstborn of death (I)devours his [d]limbs.
14 He is (J)torn from [e]the security of his tent,
And [f]they march him before the king of (K)terrors.
15 [g]Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
(L)Brimstone is scattered on his home.
16 His (M)roots are dried below,
And his (N)branch withers above.
17 (O)The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 [h]He is driven from light (P)into darkness,
And (Q)chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no (R)offspring or descendants among his people,
Nor any survivor where he resided.
20 Those in the west are appalled at (S)his [i]fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
21 Certainly these are the (T)dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
The Believer’s Rest
4 Therefore, we must fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have (A)come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also did; but (B)the word [a]they heard did not benefit them, because [b]they were not united with those who listened with faith. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,
“(C)As I swore in My anger,
They certainly shall not enter My rest,”
although His works were finished (D)from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has said (E)somewhere concerning the seventh day: “(F)And God (G)rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 5 and again in this passage, “(H)They certainly shall not enter My rest.” 6 Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who previously had good news preached to them failed to enter because of (I)disobedience, 7 He again sets a certain day, “Today,” saying [c]through David after so long a time just (J)as has been said before,
“(K)Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”
8 For (L)if [d]Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. 9 Consequently, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. 10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also (M)rested from his works, as (N)God did from His. 11 Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same (O)example of (P)disobedience.
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