Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 12
Oppression by the Wicked
For the choir director: according to Sheminith.(A) A psalm of David.
1 Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;
the loyal have disappeared from the human race.[a](B)
2 They lie to one another;
they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts.(C)
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks boastfully.(D)
4 They say, “Through our tongues we have power;
our lips are our own—who can be our master?” (E)
5 “Because of the devastation of the needy
and the groaning of the poor,
I will now rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.”(F)
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in an earthen furnace,
purified seven times.(G)
11 When a mocker is punished,
the inexperienced become wiser;
when one teaches a wise man,
he acquires knowledge.(B)
12 The Righteous One[b] considers the house of the wicked;
he brings the wicked to ruin.
13 The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
will himself also call out and not be answered.(C)
14 A secret gift soothes anger,
and a covert bribe, fierce rage.(D)
15 Justice executed is a joy to the righteous
but a terror to evildoers.(E)
16 The person who strays from the way of prudence
will come to rest in the assembly of the departed spirits.(F)
Warning against the Scribes
45 While(A) all the people were listening, he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware(B) of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.(C) 47 They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”
The Widow’s Gift
21 He(D) looked up and saw the rich dropping their offerings into the temple treasury.(E) 2 He also saw a poor widow dropping in two tiny coins.[a](F) 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all of them.(G) 4 For all these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”
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