Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 76

To the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A song.

¹ In Judah God is known and renowned; His name is highly praised and is great in Israel.

² In [Jeru]Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place is in Zion.

³ There He broke the bow’s flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁴ Glorious and excellent are You from the mountains of prey [splendid and majestic, more than the everlasting mountains].

⁵ The stouthearted are stripped of their spoil, they have slept the sleep [of death]; and none of the men of might could raise their hands.

⁶ At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both chariot [rider] and horse are cast into a dead sleep [of death].^(A)

⁷ You, even You, are to be feared [with awe and reverence]! Who may stand in Your presence when once Your anger is roused?

⁸ You caused sentence to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still—

⁹ When God arose to [establish] judgment, to save all the meek and oppressed of the earth. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

¹⁰ Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; the remainder of wrath shall You restrain and gird and arm Yourself with it.

¹¹ Vow and pay to the Lord your God; let all who are round about Him bring presents to Him Who ought to be [reverently] feared.

¹² He will cut off the spirit [of pride and fury] of princes; He is terrible to the [ungodly] kings of the earth.

66 Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house would you build for Me? And what kind can be My resting-place?^(A)

² For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands.^(B)

³ [The acts of the hypocrite’s worship are as abominable to God as if they were offered to idols.] He who kills an ox [then] will be as guilty as if he slew and sacrificed a man; he who sacrifices a lamb or a kid, as if he broke a dog’s neck and sacrificed him; he who offers a cereal offering, as if he offered swine’s blood; he who burns incense [to God], as if he blessed an idol. [Such people] have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations;

⁴ So I also will choose their delusions and mockings, their calamities and afflictions, and I will bring their fears upon them—because when I called, no one answered; when I spoke, they did not listen or obey. But they did what was evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.

⁵ Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word: Your brethren who hate you, who cast you out for My name’s sake, have said, Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy! But it is they who shall be put to shame.

⁶ [Hark!] An uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord, rendering recompense to His enemies!

⁷ Before [Zion] travailed, she gave birth; before her pain came upon her, she was delivered of a male child.

⁸ Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land ^[a]be born in one day? Or shall a nation be brought forth in a moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor, she brought forth her children.

⁹ Shall I bring to the [moment of] birth and not cause to bring forth? says the Lord. Shall I Who causes to bring forth shut the womb? says your God.

¹⁰ Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn over her,

¹¹ That you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breasts, that you may drink deeply and be delighted with the abundance and brightness of her glory.

¹² For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like an overflowing stream; then you will be nursed, you will be carried on her hip and trotted [lovingly bounced up and down] on her [God’s maternal] knees.

¹³ As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

²³ All things are legitimate [permissible—and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life].

²⁴ Let no one then seek his own good and advantage and profit, but [rather] each one of the other [let him seek the welfare of his neighbor].

²⁵ [As to meat offered to idols] eat anything that is sold in the meat market without raising any question or investigating on the grounds of conscientious scruples,

²⁶ For the [whole] earth is the Lord’s and everything that is in it.^(A)

²⁷ In case one of the unbelievers invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is served to you without examining into its source because of conscientious scruples.

²⁸ But if someone tells you, This has been offered in sacrifice to an idol, do not eat it, out of consideration for the person who informed you, and for conscience’s sake—

²⁹ I mean for the sake of his conscience, not yours, [do not eat it]. For why should another man’s scruples apply to me and my liberty of action be determined by his conscience?

³⁰ If I partake [of my food] with thankfulness, why am I accused and spoken evil of because of that for which I give thanks?

³¹ So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God.

³² Do not let yourselves be [hindrances by giving] an offense to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God [^[a]do not lead others into sin by your mode of life];

³³ Just as I myself strive to please [to accommodate myself to the opinions, desires, and interests of others, adapting myself to] all men in everything I do, not aiming at or considering my own profit and advantage, but that of the many in order that they may be saved.

11 Pattern yourselves after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).