Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord a Refuge and Defense.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
11 In the Lord I take refuge [and put my trust];
How can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to your mountain;
2
For look, the wicked are bending the bow;
They take aim with their arrow on the string
To shoot [by stealth] in darkness at the upright in heart.
3
“If the foundations [of a godly society] are destroyed,
What can the righteous do?”
4
The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven.
His eyes see, His eyelids test the children of men.(A)
5
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
And His soul hates the [malevolent] one who loves violence.(B)
6
Upon the wicked (godless) He will rain coals of fire;
Fire and [a]brimstone and a dreadful scorching wind will be the portion of their cup [of doom].
7
For the Lord is [absolutely] righteous, He loves righteousness (virtue, morality, justice);
The upright shall see His face.
Judgment on the Earth
24 Behold, the Lord [a]lays waste to the earth, devastates it, twists and distorts its face and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor [as God’s impartial judgment of sin comes on all]. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and utterly pillaged, for the Lord has spoken this word. 4 The earth dries up and crumbles away, the world dries out and crumbles away, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. 5 The earth also is polluted [b]by its inhabitants, because they have transgressed laws, violated statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.(A) 6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer the punishment of their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned [under the curse of God’s wrath], and few people are left.(B)
7
The new wine mourns,
The vine decays;
All the merry-hearted sigh and groan.
8
The mirth of the timbrels (tambourines) ceases,
The noise of those who rejoice ends,
The joy of the harp ceases.
9
They do not drink wine with a song;
Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10
The city of chaos is broken down;
Every house is shut up so that no one may enter.
11
There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
All jubilation is darkened,
The joy of the earth is banished.
12
Horrible desolation is left in the city,
And the gate is battered into ruins.
13
For so it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,
As the shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over [and only a little of the fruit remains].
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested [that is, as the testing of his faith was still in progress], [a]offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises [of God] was ready to sacrifice his only son [of promise];(A) 18 to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your descendants shall be called.”(B) 19 For he considered [it reasonable to believe] that God was able to raise Isaac even from among the dead. [Indeed, in the sense that he was prepared to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God] Abraham did receive him back [from the dead] figuratively speaking. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau [believing what God revealed to him], even regarding things to come.(C) 21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and bowed in worship, leaning on the top of his staff.(D) 22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, referred to [the promise of God for] the exodus of the sons of Israel [from Egypt], and gave instructions concerning [the burial of] his bones [in the land of the promise].(E)
23 By faith Moses, after his birth, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful and divinely favored child; and they were not afraid of the king’s (Pharaoh’s) decree.(F) 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,(G) 25 because he preferred to endure the hardship of the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of the [b]Christ [that is, the rebuke he would suffer for his faithful obedience to God] to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt; for he looked ahead to the reward [promised by God]. 27 By faith he left Egypt, being unafraid of the wrath of the king; for he endured [steadfastly], as seeing Him who is unseen.(H) 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood [on the doorposts], so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them (the firstborn of Israel).(I)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.