Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Tsadhe
137 (A)You are righteous, Lord,
And Your judgments are right.
138 You have commanded Your testimonies in (B)righteousness
And great (C)faithfulness.
139 My (D)zeal has [a]consumed me,
Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
140 Your (E)word is very [b]pure,
Therefore Your servant (F)loves it.
141 I am small and (G)despised,
Yet I do not (H)forget Your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And (I)Your Law is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have [c]come upon me,
Yet Your commandments are my (J)delight.
144 Your (K)testimonies are righteous forever;
(L)Give me understanding that I may live.
5 “(A)Look among the nations! Watch!
Be horrified! (B)Be frightened speechless!
For I am accomplishing (C)a work in your days—
You would not believe it even if [a]you were told!
6 For behold, I am (D)raising up the Chaldeans,
That [b]grim and impetuous people
Who march [c]throughout the earth,
To (E)take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 They are terrifying and (F)feared;
Their (G)justice and [d]authority [e]originate with themselves.
8 Their (H)horses are faster than leopards,
And quicker than (I)wolves in the evening.
Their [f]horsemen charge along,
Their [g]horsemen come from afar;
They fly like an (J)eagle [h]swooping down to devour.
9 All of them come for violence.
[i]Their horde of (K)faces moves forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10 They (L)make fun of kings,
And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them.
They (M)laugh at every fortress,
Then (N)heap up dirt and [j]capture it.
11 Then they fly along like the (O)wind and pass on.
But they will be held (P)guilty,
They whose (Q)strength is their god.”
12 Are You not from (R)time everlasting,
Lord, my God, my Holy One?
We will not die.
You, Lord, have (S)appointed them to deliver judgment;
And You, O (T)Rock, have destined them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too (U)pure to look at evil,
And You cannot look at harm favorably.
Why do You (V)look favorably
At those who deal (W)treacherously?
Why are You (X)silent when the wicked (Y)swallow up
Those more righteous than they?
14 Why have You made people like the fish of the sea,
Like crawling things that have no ruler over them?
15 The Chaldeans (Z)bring all of them up with a hook,
(AA)Drag them away with their net,
And gather them together in their fishing net.
Therefore they rejoice and are joyful.
16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net
And [k]burn incense to their fishing net,
Because through (AB)these things their [l]catch is [m]large,
And their food is [n]plentiful.
17 Will they therefore empty their (AC)net,
And continually (AD)slay nations without sparing?
Growth in Christian Virtue
1 [a]Simon Peter, a (A)bond-servant and (B)apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received (C)a faith of the same [b]kind as ours, [c]by (D)the righteousness of (E)our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 (F)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in (G)the knowledge of God and of Jesus [d]our Lord, 3 for His (H)divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true (I)knowledge of Him who (J)called us [e]by His own glory and [f]excellence. 4 Through [g]these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent (K)promises, so that by them you may become (L)partakers of the divine nature, having (M)escaped the (N)corruption that is in (O)the world on account of lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith (P)supply (Q)moral [h]excellence, and in your moral excellence, (R)knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, (S)self-control, and in your self-control, (T)perseverance, and in your perseverance, (U)godliness, 7 and in your godliness, (V)brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor (W)unproductive in the true (X)knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For the one who lacks these qualities is (Y)blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his (Z)purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His (AA)calling and (AB)choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never (AC)stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into (AD)the eternal kingdom of our (AE)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be (AF)abundantly (AG)supplied to you.
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