Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 17
A Prayer for Protection
A prayer of David.
1 Lord, hear a just cause;(A)
pay attention to my cry;
listen to my prayer—
from lips free of deceit.(B)
2 Let my vindication come from you,
for you see what is right.(C)
3 You have tested my heart;(D)
you have examined me at night.
You have tried me and found nothing evil;(E)
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.[a]
4 Concerning what people do:
by the words from your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.(F)
5 My steps are on your paths;
my feet have not slipped.(G)
6 I call on you, God,
because you will answer me;(H)
listen closely to me; hear what I say.
7 Display the wonders of your faithful love,(I)
Savior of all who seek refuge(J)
from those who rebel against your right hand.[b]
8 Protect me as the pupil of your eye;(K)
hide me in the shadow of your wings(L)
9 from[c] the wicked who treat me violently,[d]
my deadly enemies who surround me.(M)
10 They are uncaring;[e](N)
their mouths speak arrogantly.(O)
11 They advance against me;[f] now they surround me.(P)
They are determined[g]
to throw me to the ground.(Q)
12 They are[h] like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.(R)
13 Rise up, Lord!
Confront him; bring him down.(S)
With your sword, save me from the wicked.(T)
14 With your hand, Lord, save me from men,
from men of the world
whose portion is in this life:
You fill their bellies with what you have in store;
their sons are satisfied,
and they leave their surplus to their children.(U)
Curse and Blessing
5 This is what the Lord says:
Cursed is the person who trusts in mankind.(A)
He makes human flesh his strength,(B)
and his heart turns from the Lord.
6 He will be like a juniper in the Arabah;(C)
he cannot see when good comes
but dwells in the parched places in the wilderness,
in a salt land where no one lives.(D)
7 The person who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.(E)
8 He will be like a tree planted by water:(F)
it sends its roots out toward a stream,
it doesn’t fear when heat comes,
and its foliage remains green.
It will not worry in a year of drought
or cease producing fruit.
The Deceitful Heart
10 I, the Lord, examine the mind,
I test the heart[a](I)
to give to each according to his way,
according to what his actions deserve.(J)
11 He who makes a fortune unjustly
is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn’t lay.
In the middle of his life
his riches will abandon him,
so in the end he will be a fool.(K)
12 A glorious throne(L)
on high(M) from the beginning
is the place of our sanctuary.(N)
13 Lord, the hope of Israel,(O)
all who abandon you
will be put to shame.
All who turn away from me
will be written in the dirt,
for they have abandoned
the Lord, the fountain of living water.(P)
Jeremiah’s Plea
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me, and I will be saved,
for you are my praise.(Q)
15 Hear how they keep challenging me,(R)
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come!”
16 But I have not run away from being your shepherd,
and I have not longed for the fatal day.(S)
You know my words were spoken in your presence.
17 Don’t become a terror to me.
You are my refuge(T) in the day of disaster.
18 Let my persecutors be put to shame,(U)
but don’t let me be put to shame.
Let them be terrified, but don’t let me be terrified.
Bring on them the day of disaster;(V)
shatter them with total[b] destruction.
A House Divided
22 Then a demon-possessed man(A) who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man[a] could both speak and see.(B) 23 All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” (C)
24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”(D)
25 Knowing their thoughts,(E) he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan(F) drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.(G) 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.(H) 29 How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up(I) the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. 30 Anyone who is not with me is against me,(J) and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore,(K) I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy,(L) but the blasphemy against[b] the Spirit will not be forgiven.[c] 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man,(M) it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.(N)
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