Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

112 Praise ye the Lord! Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in His commandments.

² His seed shall be mighty upon the earth; the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

³ Wealth and riches shall be in his house, and his righteousness endureth for ever.

⁴ Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness; he is gracious and full of compassion and righteous.

⁵ A good man showeth favor and lendeth; he will guide his affairs with discretion.

⁶ Surely he shall not be moved forever; the righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance.

⁷ He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

⁸ His heart is established; he shall not be afraid until he sees his desires upon his enemies.

⁹ He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honor.

¹⁰ The wicked shall see it and be grieved, he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked shall perish.

⁶ The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king: “Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? She hath gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

⁷ And I said after she had done all these things, ‘Return thou unto Me.’ But she returned not, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

⁸ And I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

⁹ And it came to pass, because she made so light of her whoredom, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

¹⁰ And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly,” saith the Lord.

¹¹ And the Lord said unto me, “The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.

¹² Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: “‘Return, thou backsliding Israel,’ saith the Lord, ‘and I will not cause Mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful,’ saith the Lord, ‘and I will not keep anger for ever.

¹³ Only acknowledge thine iniquity: that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed My voice,’ saith the Lord.

¹⁴ ‘Turn, O backsliding children,’ saith the Lord, ‘for I am married unto you; and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

²⁷ “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old, ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’

²⁸ But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

²⁹ And if thy right eye cause thee to fall, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³⁰ And if thy right hand cause thee to fall, cut it off and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³¹ “It hath been said, ‘Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.’

³² But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

³³ “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old times, ‘Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.’

³⁴ But I say unto you, swear not at all: neither by Heaven, for it is God’s throne;

³⁵ nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

³⁶ Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.