Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

52 Why boastest thou in thine own mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God endureth continually.

² Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

³ Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah

⁴ Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

⁵ God shall likewise destroy thee for ever; He shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah

⁶ The righteous also shall see this and fear, and shall laugh at him:

⁷ “Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his own wickedness.”

⁸ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

⁹ I will praise Thee for ever, because Thou hast done it, and I will wait on Thy name, for it is good before Thy saints.

22 Thus saith the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word

² and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sittest upon the throne of David, thou and thy servants and thy people who enter in by these gates.

³ Thus saith the Lord: Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the despoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, and do no wrong. Do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

⁴ For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he and his servants and his people.

⁵ But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by Myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.’”

⁶ For thus saith the Lord unto the king’s house of Judah: “Thou art Gilead unto Me, and the head of Lebanon; yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

⁷ And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons; and they shall cut down thy choice cedars and cast them into the fire.

⁸ “And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, ‘Why hath the Lord done thus unto this great city?’

⁹ Then they shall answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.’”

⁴³ “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

⁴⁴ For every tree is known by his own fruit. For from thorns men do not gather figs, nor from a bramble bush gather they grapes.

⁴⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil; for of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaketh.