Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer for the Overthrow of the Wicked.
10 Why (A)do You stand afar off, O Lord?
Why (B)do You hide [a]Yourself in times of trouble?
2 In (C)pride the wicked [b]hotly pursue the afflicted;
[c]Let them be (D)caught in the plots which they have devised.
3 For the wicked (E)boasts of his (F)heart’s desire,
And [d]the greedy man curses and (G)spurns the Lord.
4 The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, (H)does not seek Him.
All his [e]thoughts are, “(I)There is no God.”
5 His ways [f](J)prosper at all times;
Your judgments are on high, (K)out of his sight;
As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.
6 He says to himself, “(L)I will not be moved;
[g]Throughout all generations (M)I will not be in adversity.”
7 His (N)mouth is full of curses and deceit and (O)oppression;
(P)Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.
8 He sits in the (Q)lurking places of the villages;
In the hiding places he (R)kills the innocent;
His eyes [h]stealthily watch for the [i](S)unfortunate.
9 He lurks in a hiding place as (T)a lion in his [j]lair;
He (U)lurks to catch (V)the afflicted;
He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his (W)net.
10 He [k]crouches, he [l]bows down,
And the [m]unfortunate fall [n]by his mighty ones.
11 He (X)says to himself, “God has forgotten;
He has hidden His face; He will never see it.”
12 Arise, O Lord; O God, (Y)lift up Your hand.
(Z)Do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why has the wicked (AA)spurned God?
He has said to himself, “You will not require it.”
14 You have seen it, for You have beheld (AB)mischief and vexation to [o]take it into Your hand.
The [p](AC)unfortunate commits himself to You;
You have been the (AD)helper of the orphan.
15 (AE)Break the arm of the wicked and the evildoer,
[q](AF)Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
16 The Lord is (AG)King forever and ever;
(AH)Nations have perished from His land.
17 O Lord, You have heard the (AI)desire of the [r]humble;
You will (AJ)strengthen their heart, (AK)You will incline Your ear
18 To [s]vindicate the (AL)orphan and the (AM)oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause (AN)terror.
16 “As for you, (A)do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The [a]children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they (B)pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to (C)spite Me. 19 (D)Do they spite Me?” declares the Lord. “Is it not themselves they spite, to [b]their own (E)shame?” 20 Therefore thus says the Lord [c]God, “Behold, My (F)anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, on man and on beast and on the (G)trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground; and it will burn and not be quenched.”
21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Add your (H)burnt offerings to your sacrifices and (I)eat flesh. 22 For I did not (J)speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this is [d]what I commanded them, saying, ‘(K)Obey My voice, and (L)I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may (M)be well with you.’ 24 Yet they (N)did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and [e](O)went backward and not forward. 25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have (P)sent you all My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them. 26 Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but (Q)stiffened their neck; they (R)did more evil than their fathers.
Message to Philadelphia
7 “And to the angel of the church in (A)Philadelphia write:
(B)He who is holy, (C)who is true, who has (D)the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:
8 ‘(E)I know your [a]deeds. Behold, I have put before you (F)an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and (G)have not denied My name. 9 Behold, I [b]will cause those of (H)the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them (I)come and bow down [c]at your feet, and make them know that (J)I have loved you. 10 Because you have (K)kept the word of (L)My [d]perseverance, (M)I also will keep you from the hour of [e](N)testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole [f](O)world, to [g]test (P)those who dwell on the earth. 11 (Q)I am coming quickly; (R)hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your (S)crown. 12 (T)He who overcomes, I will make him a (U)pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the (V)name of My God, and (W)the name of the city of My God, (X)the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My (Y)new name. 13 (Z)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.