Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
For the choir director; on the sheminith; a psalm by David.
12 Help, O Lord.
No godly person is left.
Faithful people have vanished from among Adam’s descendants!
2 All people speak foolishly.
They speak with flattering lips. They say one thing but mean another.
3 May the Lord cut off every flattering lip
and every bragging tongue
4 that has said,
“We will overcome with our tongues.
With lips such as ours, who can be our master?”
5 “Because oppressed people are robbed and needy people groan,
I will now arise,” says the Lord.
“I will provide safety for those who long for it.”
6 The promises of the Lord are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace and purified seven times.
7 O Lord, you will protect them.
You will keep each one safe from those people forever.
8 Wicked people parade around
when immorality increases among Adam’s descendants.
12 There is a way that seems right to a person,
but eventually it ends in death.
13 Even while laughing a heart can ache,
and joy can end in grief.
14 A heart that turns ⌞from God⌟ becomes bored with its own ways,
but a good person is satisfied with God’s ways.
15 A gullible person believes anything,
but a sensible person watches his step.
16 A wise person is cautious and turns away from evil,
but a fool is careless and overconfident.
17 A short-tempered person acts stupidly,
and a person who plots evil is hated.
18 Gullible people are gifted with stupidity,
but sensible people are crowned with knowledge.
19 Evil people will bow to good people.
Wicked people will bow at the gates of a righteous person.
20 A poor person is hated even by his neighbor,
but a rich person is loved by many.
21 Whoever despises his neighbor sins,
but blessed is the one who is kind to humble people.
22 Don’t those who stray plan what is evil,
while those who are merciful and faithful plan what is good?
23 In hard work there is always something gained,
but idle talk leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of wise people is their wealth.
The stupidity of fools is just that—stupidity!
25 An honest witness saves lives,
but one who tells lies is dangerous.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
and his children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life
to turn ⌞one⌟ away from the grasp of death.
28 A large population is an honor for a king,
but without people a ruler is ruined.
29 A person of great understanding is patient,
but a short temper is the height of stupidity.
30 A tranquil heart makes for a healthy body,
but jealousy is ⌞like⌟ bone cancer.
31 Whoever oppresses the poor insults his maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors him.
Peter and John’s Trial in Front of the Jewish Council
4 Some priests, the officer in charge of the temple guards, and some Sadducees approached Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. 2 These religious authorities were greatly annoyed. Peter and John were teaching the people and spreading the message that the dead will come back to life through Jesus. 3 So the temple guards arrested them. Since it was already evening, they put Peter and John in jail until the next day.
4 But many of those who had heard the message became believers, so the number of men who believed grew to about 5,000.
5 The next day the Jewish rulers, the leaders, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings met in Jerusalem. 6 The chief priest Annas, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the rest of the chief priest’s family were present. 7 They made Peter and John stand in front of them and then asked, “By what power or in whose name did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, because he was filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and leaders of the people, 9 today you are cross-examining us about the good we did for a crippled man. You want to know how he was made well. 10 You and all the people of Israel must understand that this man stands in your presence with a healthy body because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified Jesus Christ, but God has brought him back to life. 11 He is the stone that the builders rejected, the stone that has become the cornerstone. 12 No one else can save us. Indeed, we can be saved only by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person.”
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