Lam. 3:40–66

3:40 נ (Nun)

Let us carefully examine our ways,

and let us return to the Lord.

41Let us lift up our hearts and our hands

to God in heaven:

42“We have blatantly rebelled;

you have not forgiven.”

43ס (Samek)

You shrouded yourself with anger and then pursued us;

you killed without mercy.

44You shrouded yourself with a cloud

so that no prayer could get through.

45You make us like filthy scum

in the estimation of the nations.

46פ (Pe)

All our enemies have gloated over us;

47panic and pitfall have come upon us,

devastation and destruction.

48Streams of tears flow from my eyes

because my people are destroyed.

49ע (Ayin)

Tears flow from my eyes and will not stop;

there will be no break

50until the Lord looks down from heaven

and sees what has happened.

51What my eyes see grieves me—

all the suffering of the daughters in my city.

52צ (Tsade)

For no good reason my enemies

hunted me down like a bird.

53They shut me up in a pit

and threw stones at me.

54The waters closed over my head;

I thought I was about to die.

55ק (Qof)

I have called on your name, O Lord,

from the deepest pit.

56You heard my plea:

“Do not close your ears to my cry for relief!”

57You came near on the day I called to you;

you said, “Do not fear!”

58ר (Resh)

O Lord, you championed my cause;

you redeemed my life.

59You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;

pronounce judgment on my behalf!

60You have seen all their vengeance,

all their plots against me.

61ש (Sin/Shin)

You have heard their taunts, O Lord,

all their plots against me.

62My assailants revile and conspire

against me all day long.

63Watch them from morning to evening;

I am the object of their mocking songs.

64ת (Tav)

Pay them back what they deserve, O Lord,

according to what they have done.

65Give them a distraught heart;

may your curse be on them!

66Pursue them in anger and eradicate them

from under the Lord’s heaven.

Ps. 50

50:1 A psalm by Asaph.

El, God, the Lord has spoken,

and summoned the earth to come from the east and west.

2From Zion, the most beautiful of all places,

God has come in splendor.

3“May our God come

and not be silent.”

Consuming fire goes ahead of him,

and all around him a storm rages.

4He summons the heavens above,

as well as the earth, so that he might judge his people.

5He says:

“Assemble my covenant people before me,

those who ratified a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

6The heavens declare his fairness,

for God is judge. (Selah)

7He says:

“Listen, my people. I am speaking!

Listen, Israel. I am accusing you.

I am God, your God!

8I am not condemning you because of your sacrifices,

or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me.

9I do not need to take a bull from your household

or goats from your sheepfolds.

10For every wild animal in the forest belongs to me,

as well as the cattle that graze on a thousand hills.

11I keep track of every bird in the hills,

and the insects of the field are mine.

12Even if I were hungry, I would not tell you,

for the world and all it contains belong to me.

13Do I eat the flesh of bulls?

Do I drink the blood of goats?

14Present to God a thank offering.

Repay your vows to the Most High.

15Pray to me when you are in trouble.

I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

16God says this to the evildoer:

“How can you declare my commands,

and talk about my covenant?

17For you hate instruction

and reject my words.

18When you see a thief, you join him;

you associate with men who are unfaithful to their wives.

19You do damage with words,

and use your tongue to deceive.

20You plot against your brother;

you slander your own brother.

21When you did these things, I was silent,

so you thought I was exactly like you.

But now I will condemn you

and state my case against you.

22Carefully consider this, you who reject God.

Otherwise I will rip you to shreds

and no one will be able to rescue you.

23Whoever presents a thank offering honors me.

To whoever obeys my commands, I will reveal my power to deliver.”

Col. 1:24–2:5

1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body—for the sake of his body, the church—what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. 25I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God—given to me for you—in order to complete the word of God, 26that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. 27God wanted to make known to them the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ. 29Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. 2My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable. 5For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your morale and the firmness of your faith in Christ.