Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Steadfast Love of God Endures
To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of David, when (A)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 steadfast love of God endures all the day.
2 Your (B)tongue plots destruction,
like (C)a sharp razor, you (D)worker of deceit.
3 You love evil more than good,
and (E)lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down for ever;
he will snatch and (F)tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from (G)the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous shall (H)see and fear,
and shall (I)laugh at him, saying,
7 “See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but (J)trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!”[b]
8 But I am like (K)a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
9 I will thank you for ever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, (L)for it is good,
in the presence of the (M)godly.
12 (A)“But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in (B)the land of the living.
14 (C)The deep says, ‘It is not in me’,
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It (D)cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in (E)the gold of (F)Ophir,
in precious (G)onyx or (H)sapphire.
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of (I)coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above (J)(K)pearls.
19 (L)The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal 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 (M)all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 (N)Abaddon and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumour of it with our ears.’
23 (O)“God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24 For he (P)looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he (Q)gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and (R)a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
28 And he said to man,
‘Behold, (S)the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to (T)turn away from evil is understanding.’”
13 (A)“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and (B)the way is hard that leads to life, and (C)those who find it are few.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 (D)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are (E)ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them (F)by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thorn bushes? 17 So, (G)every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 (H)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them (I)by their fruits.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.