Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
To the Director: A Davidic instruction[a] about Doeg, the Edomite, when he went to Saul and told him, “David went to the house of Abimelech.”
A Rebuke to the Deceitful
52 Why do you make evil
the foundation of your boasting, mighty one?[b]
God’s gracious love never ceases.[c]
2 Your tongue, like a sharp razor, devises wicked things
and crafts treachery.
3 You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking uprightly.
4 You love all words that destroy, you deceitful tongue!
5 But God will tear you down forever;
he will take you away,
even snatching you out of your tent!
He will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous will fear when they see this,
but then they will laugh at him, saying,
7 “Look, here is a young man who refused to make God his strength;
instead, he trusted in his great wealth
and made his wickedness his strength.
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the gracious love of God forever and ever.
9 Therefore I will praise you forever
because of what you did;
I will proclaim that your name is good
in the midst of your faithful ones.
Joshua Renews the Covenant
30 Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, 31 just the way Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelis in the Book of the Law of Moses: “…an altar of uncut[a] stones that hasn’t been worked with iron tools…”[b] and they offered burnt offerings to the Lord on it, along with peace offerings.
32 There Joshua[c] inscribed on stones a copy of the Law of Moses that Moses had presented to[d] the Israelis. 33 All Israel, both foreigners and citizens, together with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on opposite sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. Half stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half stood in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the Lord’s servant had commanded at the first, so that they could bless the people of Israel.[e] 34 Afterwards, Joshua[f] read all the words of the Law—both the blessings and the curses—according to everything written in the Book of the Law.[g] 35 There wasn’t one word of everything Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read in front of the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, their little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.
God will Judge Everyone
2 Therefore, you have no excuse—every one of you who judges. For when you pass judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who act like this is based on[a] truth. 3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on those who practice these things and then do them yourself, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or are you unaware of his rich kindness, forbearance, and patience, that it is God’s kindness that is leading you to repent?
5 But because of your stubborn and unrepentant heart you are reserving wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 For he will repay everyone according to what that person has done: 7 eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good; 8 but wrath and fury for those who in their selfish pride refuse to believe the truth and practice wickedness instead. 9 There will be suffering and anguish for every human being who practices doing evil, for Jews first and for Greeks as well. 10 But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well, 11 because God does not show partiality.
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