Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
This is a special song that David wrote for the music leader.
It was when Doeg, the man from Edom, went to Saul and told him, ‘David went to the house of Ahimelech, the priest.’
Cruel words[a]
52 Strong man, why are you so proud
about the evil things that you like to do?
Remember that God's faithful love keeps me safe.
2 Your tongue is like a sharp knife!
You talk about how to hurt other people,
You speak nothing but lies.
3 You love to do evil things,
not good things.
You love to tell lies
more than the truth.
Selah.
4 You love to say cruel words.
You speak to deceive others.
5 But God will knock you down,
and he will break you into pieces.
He will take you away from your home.
He will remove you from this world where people live.
Selah.
6 Righteous people will see what has happened,
and they will be afraid.[b]
Then they will laugh at the wicked person,
and they will say,
7 ‘Look! This man did not trust God to keep him safe.
Instead, he trusted in his riches.
He thought that he could be cruel,
and that would keep him safe.’
8 But I am like a strong olive tree
that grows in the house of God.
I will always trust in God's faithful love for his people.
9 I will always praise you, God,
for what you have done.
I will trust you to help me,
together with all those who serve you.
31 The Lord gave this message to me on the first day of the 3rd month, in the 11th year: 2 ‘Son of man, say this to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all his people:
“You think that you are as powerful as any other country!
3 Think about how powerful Assyria was.
At one time, it was as strong as a great cedar tree in Lebanon.
It had beautiful branches that gave shade in the forest.
It was very tall. Its top reached up to the clouds.
4 Springs of water from under the ground helped it to grow very tall.
Rivers passed around the place where the tree was.
Streams from there gave water to all the trees in the forest.
5 So this cedar tree grew taller than all the other trees.
Its branches became large and very long.
It grew very well because it had plenty of water.
6 All kinds of birds built their nests among its leaves.
Under its branches, the wild animals gave birth.
All the great nations lived in its shade.
7 It was great and beautiful, with long branches.
Its roots went down deep into the ground
and they drank plenty of water.
8 The cedar trees in God's garden were not as beautiful.
The branches of the pine trees were not as strong.
No other tree in God's garden was nearly as great or as beautiful.
9 I made that tree beautiful, with all its strong branches.
All the trees in Eden, God's garden, were jealous of that tree.
10 So this is what the Almighty Lord says:
That great tree, Assyria, was very tall. Its top reached up to the clouds. It was very proud because it was so great. 11 Because of that, I put it under the power of the ruler of the nations. He has punished it as it deserved for its sins. In that way, I have removed it. 12 Foreigners from cruel nations have cut it down. They have left it on the ground. Its broken branches lie on the mountains and in the valleys. The people of other nations no longer live in its shade. They have gone away.
Paul finishes his letter
11 Now I am writing these last words to you myself. You can see how large the letters are, when I write them with my own hand!
12 Do not agree with those people who want to make you obey the Jewish rules. They say that you must let someone circumcise you. They want other people to think that they are important. They do not want to receive any trouble from others. They are afraid to teach that Christ's death on the cross is enough to save us. 13 Even those men that someone has circumcised do not obey all the Jewish rules. They want to circumcise you only to make themselves seem important. They want to show that they have authority over your bodies. 14 But I do not want to say any great things about myself. The only thing that makes me great is our Lord Jesus Christ's death on the cross. Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, it is like I have also died. The things that belong to this world have become dead to me, and I have become dead to them. 15 It does not matter whether anyone has circumcised you or not. What matters is that God has made you a new person.
16 I pray that God will bless everyone who lives by that rule. I pray that God will give them peace in their minds and that he will be kind to them. I pray this for all who belong to God's true people.
17 I want to receive no more trouble from anyone after this. The marks on my body show that I am Jesus' servant.
18 My Christian friends, I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be very kind to you. I pray that he will help you in your spirits. Amen. This is true!
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