Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 12
For the worship leader. A song of David accompanied by the lyre.[a]
1 Help me, O Eternal One, for I can’t find anyone who follows You.
The faithful have fallen out of sight.
2 Everyone tells lies through sweet-talking lips
and speaks from a hollow and deceptive heart.
3 May the Eternal silence all sweet-talking lips,
stop all boasting tongues,
4 Of those who say, “With our words we will win;
our lips are our own. Who is the master of our souls?”
5 “I will rise up,” says the Eternal,
“because the poor are being trampled, and the needy groan for My saving help.
I will lift them up to the safety they long for.”
6 The promises of the Eternal, they are true, they are pure—
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times, they will be without impurity.
7 You, O Eternal, will be their protector.
You will keep them safe from those around them forever.
8 All around, those who are wicked parade—proud and arrogant—and people applaud their emptiness.
12 Before every person lies a road that seems to be right,
but the end of that road is death and destruction.
13 Laughter can mask heartache,
and joy often gives way to grief.
14 A disloyal heart has its fill of disloyal ways,
but a good person will be satisfied from above.
15 The gullible believe anything they are told,
but clever people know to question every step.
16 The wise are cautious and stay far from evil,
but fools are hotheaded and careless.
17 Quick-tempered people make fools of themselves,
and evil schemers make many enemies.
18 The naive are heirs to foolishness,
but the clever are honored with insight.
19 Evil people will be humbled before the good;
the wicked will stoop at the doorstep of the righteous.
20 The poor are hated even by their own neighbors,
but the rich are loved by many friends.
21 Those who have contempt for their neighbors are sinners,
but those who are kind to the poor are happy.
22 Don’t those who work evil stray from the truth?
Those who plan goodness experience unfailing love and faithfulness.
23 Prosperity comes from hard work,
but talking too much leads to great scarcity.
24 The wise are honored for their wealth;
the reward of fools is more foolishness.
25 A truthful witness protects lives by not allowing evil to triumph,
but a deceitful witness speaks lies and puts the innocent in jeopardy.
26 Reverence for the Eternal brings bold confidence,
and one’s offspring will have hope of protection.
27 Respect and honor for Him is the basis of a satisfied life,
which guards a person from being trapped in the snares of death.
28 A king’s splendor is in his many people,
but a declining population will lead to his ruin.
29 Whoever is patient and slow to anger shows great understanding,
but whoever has a quick temper magnifies his foolishness.
30 A serene heart can add years to one’s life;
but jealous passion rots the bones.
The wrong kind of passion can be a dangerous thing. Too often people are ruled by strong emotions, thoughts that cannot be checked, and actions that cannot be controlled. If that’s the case, then you are putting your life and well-being in jeopardy. Peace of mind, tranquility of soul, and serenity of heart become the recipe for a long, happy life.
31 Whoever oppresses the poor insults his Maker,
but anyone who is gracious to the needy honors Him.
4 The conversation continued for a few hours there in Solomon’s porch. Suddenly, the head of the temple police and some members of the Sadducean party interrupted Peter and John. 2 They were annoyed because Peter and John were enthusiastically teaching that in Jesus, resurrection of the dead is possible—an idea the Sadducees completely rejected. 3 So they arrested Peter, John, and the man who was healed and kept them in jail overnight. 4 But during these few afternoon hours between the man’s miraculous healing and their arrest, Peter and John already had convinced about 5,000 more people to believe their message about Jesus!
5 The next morning, the Jewish leaders—their officials, elders, and scholars—called a meeting in Jerusalem 6 presided over by Annas (the patriarch of the ruling priestly clan), along with Caiaphas (his son-in-law), John, Alexander, and other members of their clan. 7 They made their prisoners stand in the middle of the assembly and questioned them.
Jewish Leaders: Who gave you the authority to create that spectacle in the temple yesterday?
Peter (filled with the Spirit): 8 Rulers and elders of the people, 9 yesterday a good deed was done. Someone who was sick was healed. If you’re asking us how this happened, 10 I want all of you and all of the people of Israel to know this man standing in front of you—obviously in good health—was healed by the authority of Jesus of Nazareth, the Anointed One. This is the same Jesus whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead. 11 He is “the stone that you builders rejected who has become the very stone that holds together the entire foundation”[a] on which a new temple is being built. 12 There is no one else who can rescue us, and there is no other name under heaven given to any human by whom we may be rescued.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.