Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹     On that day, you will say:
I give you thanks, O Lord;
    though you have been angry with me,
    your anger has abated, and you have consoled me.
² God indeed is my salvation;
    I am confident and unafraid.
For the Lord is my strength and my might,
    and he has been my salvation.^(A)
3 With joy you will draw water
    from the fountains of salvation,^(B)
4 And you will say on that day:
    give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name;
Among the nations make known his deeds,
    proclaim how exalted is his name.^(C)
5 Sing praise to the Lord for he has done glorious things;
    let this be known throughout all the earth.^(D)
6 Shout with exultation, City of Zion,
    for great in your midst
    is the Holy One of Israel!^(E)

^1 [a]No, the hand of the Lord is not too short to save,
    nor his ear too dull to hear.^(A)
2 Rather, it is your crimes
    that separate you from your God,
It is your sins that make him hide his face
    so that he does not hear you.
³ For your hands are defiled with blood,
    and your fingers with crime;
Your lips speak falsehood,
    and your tongue utters deceit.^(B)
4 No one brings suit justly,
    no one pleads truthfully;
They trust an empty plea and tell lies;
    they conceive mischief and bring forth malice.
^5 [b]They hatch adders’ eggs,
    and weave spiders’ webs:
Whoever eats the eggs will die,
    if one of them is crushed, it will hatch a viper;^(C)
6 Their webs cannot serve as clothing,
    nor can they cover themselves with their works.
Their works are evil works,
    and deeds of violence are in their hands.
⁷ Their feet run to evil,
    and they hasten to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness,
    violence and destruction are on their highways.^(D)
8 The way of peace they know not,
    and there is no justice on their paths;
Their roads they have made crooked,
    no one who walks in them knows peace.

^9 [c]That is why judgment is far from us
    and justice does not reach us.
We look for light, but there is darkness;
    for brightness, and we walk in gloom!^(E)
10 Like those who are blind we grope along the wall,
    like people without eyes we feel our way.
We stumble at midday as if at twilight,
    among the vigorous, we are like the dead.
¹¹ Like bears we all growl,
    like doves we moan without ceasing.
We cry out for justice, but it is not there;
    for salvation, but it is far from us.^(F)
12 For our transgressions before you are many,
    our sins bear witness against us.
Our transgressions are present to us,
    and our crimes we acknowledge:
¹³ Transgressing, and denying the Lord,
    turning back from following our God,
Planning fraud and treachery,
    uttering lying words conceived in the heart.
¹⁴ Judgment is turned away,
    and justice stands far off;
For truth stumbles in the public square,
    and uprightness cannot enter.^(G)
15 Fidelity is lacking,
    and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

The Lord saw this, and was aggrieved
    that there was no justice.