Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 5
With You the Wicked Cannot Dwell
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For the choir director. For flutes. A psalm by David.
Access in Prayer
1 Turn your ear to my words, O Lord.
Understand me when I sigh.
2 Pay attention to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I lay out my requests in front of you,
and I watch for your answer.
No Access
4 For you are not a God who takes pleasure in evil.
With you the wicked cannot dwell.
5 The arrogant cannot stand before your eyes.
You hate all evildoers.
6 You put to death those who speak lies.
The Lord is disgusted with bloodthirsty, deceitful men.
Access in Prayer
7 But as for me, by your great mercy
I will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
with reverence for you.
8 Lord, lead me in your righteousness.
Because of those who slander me,
make your way straight before me.
Lying Tongues
9 Nothing reliable comes out of their mouth.
From within them comes destruction.
Their throat is an open grave.
With their tongue they flatter.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let them fall because of their own schemes.
For their many treacherous deeds banish them,
because they have rebelled against you.
Praising Tongues
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad.
Let them sing for joy forever.
You cover them with protection,
so those who love your name rejoice in you.
12 Yes, you bless the righteous, Lord.
You surround them with your favor as a shield.
The Lord Will Provide
10 Ask the Lord, who makes storm clouds,
to give rain at the right time for the spring rains,
and he will provide showers of rain,
and there will be crops in the field for everyone.
2 But household gods speak wicked deception,
and the omen readers see illusions.
They report trivial dreams
and give false comfort.
That is why the people wander like sheep.
They are in trouble[a] because they have no shepherd.
The Lord’s Warning and Promise
3 My anger burns against the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders of the flock,
because the Lord of Armies cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
and he will make them like his majestic horse in battle.
4 From him will come the cornerstone,
from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
from him every commander.
5 Together they will be like strong warriors,
going out into battle, trampling the enemy into the mud of the streets.
They will fight, because the Lord is with them,
and those who ride horses will be put to shame.
6 I will strengthen the house of Judah
and save the house of Joseph.
I will restore them,
because I have compassion on them.
It will be as if I had not rejected them,
because I am the Lord their God, and I will answer them.
7 Then Ephraim will become like a strong warrior,
and their hearts will be glad as if from wine.
Their children will see it and be glad.
Their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.
8 I will whistle for them and gather them in,
for I have redeemed them.
They will be as numerous as they were in the past.
9 Though I scattered them among the peoples,
yet in distant places they will remember me.
They will survive and return with their children.
10 I will bring them back from the land of Egypt,
and I will gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
and there will not be enough room for them.
11 They[b] will pass through the sea of distress,
but the Lord will strike the waves in the sea.
All the depths of the Nile will become dry.
The pride of Assyria will be brought low.
The scepter of Egypt will depart.
12 I will make them strong in the Lord,
and they will walk in his name, declares the Lord.
6 “But, if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a huge millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of temptations to sin. Temptations must come, but woe to that person through whom the temptation comes!
8 “If your hand or your foot causes you to sin,[b] cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to be thrown into the eternal fire with two hands or two feet. 9 If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to be thrown into hell fire with two eyes.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.