Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
BOOK TWO
(Psalms 42–72)
For the choir director; a maskil [a] by Korah’s descendants.
42 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When may I come to see God’s face?
3 My tears are my food day and night.
People ask me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 I will remember these things as I pour out my soul:
how I used to walk with the crowd
and lead it in a procession to God’s house.
⌞I sang⌟ songs of joy and thanksgiving
while crowds of people celebrated a festival.
5 Why are you discouraged, my soul?
Why are you so restless?
Put your hope in God,
because I will still praise him.
He is my savior and my God.
6 My soul is discouraged.
That is why I will remember you
in the land of Jordan, on the peaks of Hermon, on Mount Mizar.
7 One deep sea calls to another at the roar of your waterspouts.
All the whitecaps on your waves have swept over me.
8 The Lord commands his mercy during the day,
and at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will ask God, my rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I walk around in mourning
while the enemy oppresses me?”
10 With a shattering blow to my bones,
my enemies taunt me.
They ask me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you discouraged, my soul?
Why are you so restless?
Put your hope in God,
because I will still praise him.
He is my savior and my God.
43 Judge me, O God,
and plead my case against an ungodly nation.
Rescue me from deceitful and unjust people.
2 You are my fortress, O God!
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I walk around in mourning
while the enemy oppresses me?
3 Send your light and your truth.
Let them guide me.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain
and to your dwelling place.
4 Then let me go to the altar of God, to God my ⌞highest⌟ joy,
and I will give thanks to you on the lyre, O God, my God.
5 Why are you discouraged, my soul?
Why are you so restless?
Put your hope in God,
because I will still praise him.
He is my savior and my God.
3 Integrity guides decent people,
but hypocrisy leads treacherous people to ruin.
4 Riches are of no help on the day of fury,
but righteousness saves from death.
5 The righteousness of innocent people makes their road smooth,
but wicked people fall by their own wickedness.
6 Decent people are saved by their righteousness,
but treacherous people are trapped by their own greed.
7 At the death of a wicked person, hope vanishes.
Moreover, his confidence in strength vanishes.
8 A righteous person is rescued from trouble,
and a wicked person takes his place.
9 With his talk a godless person can ruin his neighbor,
but righteous people are rescued by knowledge.
10 When righteous people prosper, a city is glad.
When wicked people die, there are songs of joy.
11 With the blessing of decent people a city is raised up,
but by the words of wicked people, it is torn down.
12 A person who despises a neighbor has no sense,
but a person who has understanding keeps quiet.
13 Whoever gossips gives away secrets,
but whoever is trustworthy in spirit can keep a secret.
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
27 When Jesus left that place, two blind men followed him. They shouted, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
28 Jesus went into a house, and the blind men followed him. He said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they answered.
29 He touched their eyes and said, “What you have believed will be done for you!” 30 Then they could see.
He warned them, “Don’t let anyone know about this!” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that region.
Jesus Forces a Demon out of a Man Who Couldn’t Talk
32 As they were leaving, some people brought a man to Jesus. The man was unable to talk because he was possessed by a demon. 33 But as soon as the demon was forced out, the man began to speak.
The crowds were amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.”
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