Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God, a Helper against the Treacherous.
For the choir director; [a]upon an eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm of David.
12 Help, Lord, for (A)the godly man ceases to be,
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 They (B)speak [b]falsehood to one another;
With (C)flattering [c]lips and with a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
The tongue that (D)speaks great things;
4 Who (E)have said, “With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are [d]our own; who is lord over us?”
5 “Because of the (F)devastation of the afflicted, because of the groaning of the needy,
Now (G)I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will (H)set him in the safety for which he longs.”
12 There (A)is a way which seems right to a man,
But its (B)end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the (C)end of joy may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will have his (D)fill of his own ways,
But a good man will (E)be satisfied [a]with his.
15 The [b]naive believes everything,
But the sensible man considers his steps.
16 A wise man [c]is cautious and (F)turns away from evil,
But a fool is arrogant and careless.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of evil devices is hated.
18 The [d]naive inherit foolishness,
But the sensible are crowned with knowledge.
19 The (G)evil will bow down before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20 The (H)poor is hated even by his neighbor,
But those who love the rich are many.
21 He who (I)despises his neighbor sins,
But (J)happy is he who is gracious to the [e]poor.
22 Will they not go astray who (K)devise evil?
But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [f]mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The (L)crown of the wise is their riches,
But the folly of fools is foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives,
But he who [g](M)utters lies is [h]treacherous.
26 In the [i](N)fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And [j]his children will have refuge.
27 The [k]fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s glory,
But in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin.
29 He who is (O)slow to anger has great understanding,
But he who is [l]quick-tempered exalts folly.
30 A (P)tranquil heart is life to the body,
But passion is (Q)rottenness to the bones.
31 He (R)who oppresses the poor taunts (S)his Maker,
But he who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
Peter and John Arrested
4 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and (A)the captain of the temple guard and (B)the Sadducees (C)came up to them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming [a](D)in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them and (E)put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the [b]message believed; and (F)the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
5 On the next day, their (G)rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; 6 and (H)Annas the high priest was there, and (I)Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. 7 When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, [c](J)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “[d](K)Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if we are [e]on trial today for (L)a benefit done to a sick man, [f]as to how this man has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that [g](M)by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom (N)God raised from the dead—[h]by [i]this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11 [j](O)He is the (P)stone which was (Q)rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. 12 And there is salvation in (R)no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
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