Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 52[a]
For the director of music. A maskil[b] of David. When Doeg the Edomite(A) had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero?
Why do you boast(B) all day long,(C)
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit,(D)
your tongue plots destruction;(E)
it is like a sharpened razor.(F)
3 You love evil(G) rather than good,
falsehood(H) rather than speaking the truth.[c]
4 You love every harmful word,
you deceitful tongue!(I)
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck(J) you from your tent;
he will uproot(K) you from the land of the living.(L)
6 The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh(M) at you, saying,
7 “Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold(N)
but trusted in his great wealth(O)
and grew strong by destroying others!”
12 But where can wisdom be found?(A)
Where does understanding dwell?(B)
13 No mortal comprehends its worth;(C)
it cannot be found in the land of the living.(D)
14 The deep(E) says, “It is not in me”;
the sea(F) says, “It is not with me.”
15 It cannot be bought with the finest gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.(G)
16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir,(H)
with precious onyx or lapis lazuli.(I)
17 Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it,(J)
nor can it be had for jewels of gold.(K)
18 Coral(L) and jasper(M) are not worthy of mention;
the price of wisdom is beyond rubies.(N)
19 The topaz(O) of Cush(P) cannot compare with it;
it cannot be bought with pure gold.(Q)
20 Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?(R)
21 It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
concealed even from the birds in the sky.(S)
22 Destruction[a](T) and Death(U) say,
“Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.”
23 God understands the way to it
and he alone(V) knows where it dwells,(W)
24 for he views the ends of the earth(X)
and sees everything under the heavens.(Y)
25 When he established the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,(Z)
26 when he made a decree for the rain(AA)
and a path for the thunderstorm,(AB)
27 then he looked at wisdom and appraised it;
he confirmed it and tested it.(AC)
28 And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil(AD) is understanding.”(AE)
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate.(A) For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
True and False Prophets
15 “Watch out for false prophets.(B) They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.(C) 16 By their fruit you will recognize them.(D) Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?(E) 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.(F) 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.(G) 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
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