Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 5[a]
Prayer for Divine Help
1 For the leader; with wind instruments. A psalm of David.
I
2 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
understand my sighing.(A)
3 Attend to the sound of my cry,
my king and my God!
For to you I will pray, Lord;
4 in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I will plead before you and wait.(B)
II
5 You are not a god who delights in evil;
no wicked person finds refuge with you;
6 the arrogant cannot stand before your eyes.
You hate all who do evil;
7 you destroy those who speak falsely.(C)
A bloody and fraudulent man
the Lord abhors.
III
8 But I, through the abundance of your mercy,[b]
will enter into your house.
I will bow down toward your holy sanctuary
out of fear of you.(D)
9 Lord, guide me in your justice because of my foes;
make straight your way before me.(E)
IV
10 For there is no sincerity in their mouth;
their heart is corrupt.
Their throat[c] is an open grave;(F)
on their tongue are subtle lies.
11 Declare them guilty, God;
make them fall by their own devices.(G)
Drive them out for their many sins;
for they have rebelled against you.
V
12 Then all who trust in you will be glad
and forever shout for joy.(H)
You will protect them and those will rejoice in you
who love your name.
13 For you, Lord, bless the just one;
you surround him with favor like a shield.
Chapter 10
The Lord Strengthens Judah and Rescues Ephraim
1 Ask the Lord for rain in the spring season,(A)
the Lord who brings storm clouds, and heavy rains,(B)
who gives to everyone grain in the fields.
2 For the teraphim[a] have spoken nonsense,(C)
the diviners have seen false visions;
Deceitful dreams they have told,
empty comfort they have offered.
This is why they wandered like sheep,
wretched, for they have no shepherd.(D)
3 My wrath is kindled against the shepherds,[b]
and I will punish the leaders.
For the Lord of hosts attends to the flock, the house of Judah,
and will make them like a splendid horse in battle.
4 From them will come the tower,
from them the tent peg,
from them the bow of war,
from them every officer.
5 Together they will be like warriors,
trampling the mud of the streets in battle.
They will wage war because the Lord is with them,
and will put the horsemen to shame.
6 I will strengthen the house of Judah,(E)
the house of Joseph[c] I will save;
I will bring them back, because I have mercy on them;
they will be as if I had never cast them off,
for I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them.(F)
7 Then Ephraim will be like a hero,
and their hearts will be cheered as by wine.(G)
Their children will see and rejoice—
their hearts will exult in the Lord.
8 I will whistle for them and gather them in;
for I will redeem them
and they will be as numerous as before.[d]
9 I sowed them among the nations,
yet in distant lands they will remember me;
they will bear their children and return.(H)
10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt,
and gather them from Assyria.
To the land of Gilead and to Lebanon I will bring them,
until no room is found for them.
11 I will cross over to Egypt
and smite the waves of the sea,
and all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
The pride of Assyria will be cast down,
and the scepter of Egypt disappear.
12 I will strengthen them in the Lord,(I)
in whose name they will walk—oracle of the Lord.
Temptations to Sin. 6 (A)“Whoever causes one of these little ones[a] who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 [b]Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 8 (B)If your hand or foot causes you to sin,[c] cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into fiery Gehenna.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep.[d]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.