Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 112
The Traits of the Righteous
2 His descendants will be powerful in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.(B)
3 Wealth and riches are in his house,(C)
and his righteousness endures forever.(D)
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright.(E)
He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.(F)
5 Good will come to a man who lends generously
and conducts his business fairly.(G)
6 He will never be shaken.(H)
The righteous man will be remembered forever.(I)
7 He will not fear bad news;
his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.(J)
8 His heart is assured; he will not fear.(K)
In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.(L)
9 He distributes freely to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.(M)
His horn will be exalted in honor.(N)
Unfaithful Israel, Treacherous Judah
6 In the days of King Josiah the Lord asked me, “Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has ascended every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there.(A) 7 I thought: After she has done all these things, she will return to Me.(B) But she didn’t return, and her treacherous sister Judah(C) saw it. 8 I[a] observed that it was because unfaithful Israel had committed adultery that I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce.(D) Nevertheless, her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid but also went and prostituted herself.(E) 9 Indifferent to[b] her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones(F) and trees.(G) 10 Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah didn’t return to Me with all her heart(H)—only in pretense.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
11 The Lord announced to me, “Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.(I) 12 Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say:
Return, unfaithful Israel.(J)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
I will not look on you with anger,[c]
for I am unfailing in My love.(K)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
I will not be angry forever.(L)
13 Only acknowledge your guilt(M)—
you have rebelled against the Lord your God.(N)
You have scattered your favors to strangers
under every green tree(O)
and have not obeyed My voice.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
14 “Return, you faithless children”(P)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“for I am your master,(Q) and I will take you,(R) one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
Adultery in the Heart
27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.(A)[a] 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.(B) 29 If your right eye causes you to sin,(C) gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.(D) 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!
Divorce Practices Censured
31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces(E) his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.(F)[b] 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality,[c] causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.(G)
Tell the Truth
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,[d] You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.(H)[e] 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.(I) 36 Neither should you swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.
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