Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 52
For the choir director; a maskil; a psalm by David when Doeg (who was from Edom) told Saul that David had come to Ahimelech’s home.
1 Why do you brag about the evil you’ve done, you hero?
The mercy of El lasts all day long!
2 Your tongue makes up threats.
It’s like a sharp razor, you master of deceit.
3 You prefer evil to good.
You prefer lying to speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love every destructive accusation, you deceitful tongue!
5 But El will ruin you forever.
He will grab you and drag you out of your tent.
He will pull your roots out of this world of the living. Selah
6 Righteous people will see this and be struck with fear.
They will laugh at you and say,
7 “Look at this person who refused to make Elohim his fortress!
Instead, he trusted his great wealth
and became strong through his greed.”
8 But I am like a large olive tree in Elohim’s house.
I trust the mercy of Elohim forever and ever.
9 I will give thanks to you forever
for what you have done.
In the presence of your godly people,
I will wait with hope in your good name.
Warnings to the Wicked Kings
22 This is what Yahweh says: Go to the palace of the king of Judah, and speak this message there: 2 “Listen to the word of Yahweh, you officials, you people who come into these gates, and you, king of Judah, the one sitting on David’s throne.
3 “This is what Yahweh says: Judge fairly, and do what is right. Rescue those who have been robbed from those who oppress them. Don’t mistreat foreigners, orphans, or widows, and don’t oppress them. Don’t kill innocent people in this place. 4 If you do what I say, then the kings who sit on David’s throne will ride through the gates of this palace in chariots and on horses along with their officials and their people. 5 But if you don’t do what I say, I will take an oath on myself,” declares Yahweh, “that this palace will become a pile of rubble.
6 “This is what Yahweh says about the palace of the king of Judah:
This palace is like Gilead to me,
like the top of Lebanon.
I will certainly turn it into a desert,
into cities that no one lives in.
7 I will send people to destroy you.
They will have their own weapons.
They will cut down your finest cedar trees
and throw them on a fire.
8 “People from many nations will pass by this city and ask each other, ‘Why has Yahweh done this to this important city?’ 9 The answer will be: ‘They rejected the promise[a] of Yahweh their Elohim. They worshiped other gods and served them.’”
Evil People(A)
43 “A good tree doesn’t produce rotten fruit, and a rotten tree doesn’t produce good fruit. 44 Each tree is known by its fruit. You don’t pick figs from thorny plants or grapes from a thornbush. 45 Good people do the good that is in them. But evil people do the evil that is in them. The things people say come from inside them.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.