Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Futility of Boastful Wickedness.
To the Chief Musician. A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem. A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
52 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
2
Your tongue devises destruction,
Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3
You love evil more than good,
And falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah.
4
You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
5
But God will break you down forever;
He will take you away and tear you away from your tent,
And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.
6
The righteous will see it and fear,
And will [scoffingly] laugh, saying,
7
“Look, [this is] the man who would not make God his strength [his stronghold and fortress],
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
Taking refuge in his wealth.”
8
But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust [confidently] in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever.
9
I will thank You forever, because You have done it, [You have rescued me and kept me safe].
I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.
The Search for Wisdom Is Harder
12
“But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13
“Man does not know the value of it;
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
14
“The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15
“It cannot be obtained for pure gold,
Nor can silver be weighed as its price.
16
“It cannot be valued in [terms of] the gold of Ophir,
In the precious onyx or beryl, or the sapphire.
17
“Gold and glass cannot equal wisdom,
Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold.
18
“No mention of coral and crystal can be made;
For the possession of wisdom is even above [that of] rubies or pearls.
19
“The topaz of Ethiopia cannot compare with it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20
“From where then does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21
“It is hidden from the eyes of all the living
And concealed from the birds of the heavens.
22
“Abaddon (the place of destruction) and Death say,
‘We have [only] heard a report of it with our ears.’
23
“God understands the way [to wisdom]
And He knows its place [for wisdom is with God alone].
24
“For He looks to the ends of the earth
And sees everything under the heavens.
25
“When He gave weight and pressure to the wind
And allotted the waters by measure,
26
When He made a limit for the rain
And a way for the thunderbolt,
27
Then He saw wisdom and declared it;
He established it and searched it out.
28
“But to man He said, ‘Behold, the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord—that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.(A)
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves.(B) 16 By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?(C) 17 Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them [as false prophets].
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