Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 52
God Judges the Proud
For the choir director. A Maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”(A)
1 Why boast about evil, you hero!(B)
God’s faithful love is constant.(C)
2 Like a sharpened razor,
your tongue devises destruction,
working treachery.(D)
3 You love evil instead of good,
lying instead of speaking truthfully.(E)Selah
4 You love any words that destroy,
you treacherous tongue!(F)
5 This is why God will bring you down forever.
He will take you, ripping you out of your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.(G)Selah
6 The righteous will see and fear,
and they will derisively say about that hero,[a](H)
7 “Here is the man
who would not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches,
taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”(I)
Review of Israel’s History
24 Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem(A) and summoned Israel’s elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God.(B) 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah,(C) the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.
11 “‘You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.(A) Jericho’s citizens—as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hethites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites—fought against you, but I handed them over to you. 12 I sent hornets[a](B) ahead of you, and they drove out the two Amorite kings(C) before you. It was not by your sword or bow. 13 I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build,(D) though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
The Covenant Renewal
14 “Therefore, fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth.(E) Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped(F) beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord. 15 But if it doesn’t please you to worship the Lord, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship—the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living?(G) As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.”
16 The people replied, “We will certainly not abandon the Lord to worship other gods! 17 For the Lord our God brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery,(H) and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through. 18 The Lord drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will worship the Lord, because he is our God.”
19 But Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to worship the Lord, because he is a holy God. He is a jealous God;(I) he will not forgive your transgressions and sins.(J) 20 If you abandon the Lord and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy(K) you, after he has been good to you.”
21 “No!” the people answered Joshua. “We will worship the Lord.”
22 Joshua then told the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you yourselves have chosen to worship the Lord.”
“We are witnesses,” they said.
23 “Then get rid of the foreign gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
24 So the people said to Joshua, “We will worship the Lord our God and obey him.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people at Shechem and established a statute and ordinance for them. 26 Joshua recorded these things in the book of the law of God;(L) he also took a large stone and set it up there under the oak at the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone—it will be a witness against us,(M) for it has heard all the words the Lord said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance.
The Whole World Guilty before God
9 What then? Are we any better off?[a] Not at all! For we have already charged that both Jews(A) and Greeks(B) are all under sin,[b](C) 10 as it is written:
There is no one righteous, not even one.
11 There is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away;
all alike have become worthless.
There is no one who does what is good,
not even one.[c](D)
13 Their throat is an open grave;
they deceive with their tongues.[d](E)
Vipers’ venom is under their lips.[e](F)
14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.[f](G)
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,
17 and the path of peace they have not known.[g](H)
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.[h](I)
19 Now we know that whatever the law says,(J) it speaks to those who are subject to the law,[i](K) so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.[j](L) 20 For no one will be justified[k] in his sight by the works of the law,(M) because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.(N)
The Righteousness of God through Faith
21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed,(O) attested by the Law and the Prophets.[l](P) 22 The righteousness of God is through faith(Q) in Jesus Christ[m](R) to all who believe,(S) since there is no distinction.(T)
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