Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Faithful Have Vanished
To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.[a] A Psalm of David.
12 Save, O Lord, for (A)the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone (B)utters lies to his neighbour;
with (C)flattering lips and (D)a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all (E)flattering lips,
the tongue that makes (F)great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5 “Because (G)the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
(H)I will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will place him in the (I)safety for which he longs.”
6 (J)The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us[b] from this generation for ever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbour finds no mercy in his eyes.
11 When (A)a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One (B)observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13 (C)Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
14 (D)A gift in secret averts anger,
and a concealed bribe,[a] strong wrath.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
(E)but terror to evildoers.
16 One who wanders from the way of good sense
(F)will rest in the assembly of the dead.
Beware of the Scribes
45 (A)And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the market-places and the best seats in the synagogues and (B)the places of honour at feasts, 47 (C)who devour widows' houses and (D)for a pretence make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
The Widow's Offering
21 (E)Jesus[a] looked up and saw the rich (F)putting their gifts into (G)the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two (H)small copper coins.[b] 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, (I)this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her (J)poverty put in all (K)she had to live on.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.