Psalm 14^(A)

For the director of music. Of David.

Psalm 53^[a](A)

For the director of music. According to mahalath.^[b] A maskil^[c] of David.

¹⁰ As it is written:

⁵ The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,^(A) and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.^(B)

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.^{(A) 22} Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools^{(B) 23} and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images^(C) made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over^(D) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.^{(E) 25} They exchanged the truth about God for a lie,^(F) and worshiped and served created things^(G) rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.^(H) Amen.^(I)

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over^(J) to shameful lusts.^(K) Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.^{(L) 27} In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.^(M)

²⁸ Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over^(N) to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,^{(O) 30} slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;^{(P) 31} they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love,^(Q) no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death,^(R) they not only continue to do these very things but also approve^(S) of those who practice them.

Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,^{(A) 2} in which you used to live^(B) when you followed the ways of this world^(C) and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,^(D) the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.^{(E) 3} All of us also lived among them at one time,^(F) gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a](G) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

³⁴ You brood of vipers,^(A) how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks^(B) what the heart is full of.