Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
12 My eyes have witnessed the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
13 [a]The righteous will flourish like the palm tree;
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
14 They are planted in the house of the Lord[b]
and will flourish in the courts of our God.
15 They still will bear fruit, in their old age,
and they will remain fresh and green,
Chapter 13
The Light of the Righteous Shines Brightly[a]
1 A wise son listens to his father’s correction,
but a mocker will not accept any rebuke.[b]
2 A good man derives nourishment from the fruit of his words,
but one who is treacherous craves violence.
3 He who guards his mouth makes his life secure,
but one who talks excessively ensures his own downfall.[c]
4 The idler[d] craves for food and remains unsatisfied,
but the appetite of the diligent is fully sated.
5 The righteous man hates words that are deceitful,
but the evildoer slanders and defames.
6 Righteousness stands guard over one who is honest,
but sin brings about the ruin of the wicked.
7 One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor,[e] yet has great wealth.
8 A wealthy man pays a ransom to save his life;[f]
a poor man never has to worry about such threats.
9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp[g] of the wicked is extinguished.
10 An ignorant man causes strife by his insolence,
but wisdom is found with those who take advice.
11 Wealth hastily acquired will dwindle away,
but when amassed little by little, it will increase.
12 Hope deferred sickens the heart,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Adam and Christ—Sin and Grace[a]
12 Humanity’s Sin through Adam. Therefore, sin entered the world as the result of one man, and death[b] as a result of sin, and thus death has afflicted the entire human race inasmuch as everyone has sinned. 13 Sin was already in the world before there was any Law, even though sin is not reckoned when there is no Law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned by disobeying a command, as did Adam who prefigured the one who was to come.
15 Grace and Life through Christ. However, the gift is not like the transgression. For if the transgression of one man led to the death of the many,[c] how much greater was the overflowing effect of the grace of God and the gift of the one man Jesus Christ that has abounded for the many. 16 The gift of God cannot be compared with the sin of the one man. For the one sin resulted in the judgment that brought condemnation, but the gift freely given after many transgressions resulted in justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s transgression, death reigned through that man, how much more shall those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness come to reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, just as one man’s transgression brought condemnation for all, so one man’s righteous act resulted in justification and life for all. 19 For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous.[d]
20 Purpose of the Law. When the Law was added, offenses multiplied; but the increase in sins was far exceeded by the increase in grace. 21 Hence, as sin’s reign resulted in death, so the grace of God also might reign through righteousness resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Death and Life with Christ[e]
Chapter 6
Baptized in Christ Jesus.[f] 1 What then shall we say? Should we persist in sin in order that grace may abound? 2 Of course not! We have died to sin. How can we live in it any longer?
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.