Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 147[a]
Hymn to the City of God
1 [b]Alleluia.
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
how pleasant it is to give him fitting praise.[c]
2 The Lord restores Jerusalem
and gathers together the dispersed people of Israel.[d]
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and bandages their wounds.[e]
4 He fixes the number of the stars
and assigns a name to each.[f]
5 Great is our Lord and awesome in power;
his wisdom is without limit.[g]
6 The Lord sustains the poor
but humbles the wicked in the dust.[h]
7 [i]Offer songs of thanksgiving to the Lord;
play the lyre in honor of our God.
8 He veils the heavens with clouds,
supplies the earth with rain,
and makes the hills sprout with grass.[j]
9 He provides food for the animals
and for the young ravens when they call.[k]
10 [l]He takes no pleasure in the strength of the horse,
or delight in the fleetness of a runner.
11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
those who place their hope in his kindness.
20 He has not done this for the other nations;
they are not aware of his judgments.
Alleluia.
10 A righteous person supplies the needs of his animals,[a]
but the heart of the wicked is without mercy.
11 One who tills his land has an abundance of food,
but he who chases fantasies[b] is a fool.
12 The wicked desire the prey of evil men,
but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13 The wicked man is ensnared by the sin of his lips,
but the righteous frees himself from misfortune.
14 An abundance of good things flow from the fruit of one’s lips,
and a man’s labor will give him a suitable reward.[c]
15 The fool is convinced of the rightness of his ways,
but the man who listens to advice shows wisdom.
16 A fool is quick to show his anger,
but a prudent man ignores an insult.
17 A truthful witness is honest in his testimony,
but a false witness testifies deceitfully.
18 Thoughtless words wound like a sword thrust,
but the tongue of the wise produces healing.
19 Truthful speech endures forever,
but deceitful lies last only for a moment.[d]
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil,
but those who counsel peace have joy.
21 No harm befalls the righteous,
but endless are the misfortunes of the wicked.
2 Listen to me! I, Paul, tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you. 3 Once again, I testify that every man who accepts circumcision is under obligation to observe the entire Law. 4 Those of you who seek to be justified by the Law have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from grace. 5 For it is through the Spirit and by faith that we eagerly hope to attain righteousness, 6 since in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor lack of circumcision is worth anything. All that matters is faith expressing itself through love.
Against Being Misled. 7 You were running a good race. Who kept you from obeying the truth? 8 This change did not come from the one who called you. 9 A little yeast leavens the entire batch of dough. 10 I am confident of you in the Lord that none of you will think differently, and that anyone who is trying to confuse you will be condemned, no matter who it is.
11 As for me, brethren, if I were still advocating circumcision,[a] why would I continue to be persecuted? If I were doing that, the cross would no longer be a stumbling block. 12 I wish that those who are confusing you would even castrate themselves!
13 Proper Use of Freedom. Brethren, you were called to freedom. However, make sure that you do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Instead, serve one another in love. 14 For the entire Law can be summed up[b] in a single commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you continue biting and tearing one another to pieces, at least be on your guard lest you be consumed by one another.
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