Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Prayer for God’s mercy upon the nation.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
85 Jehovah, thou hast been favorable unto thy land;
Thou hast [a]brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people;
Thou hast covered all their sin. Selah
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath;
Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
4 [b]Turn us, O God of our salvation,
And cause thine indignation toward us to cease.
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?
Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not quicken us again,
That thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Show us thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah,
And grant us thy salvation.
8 I will hear what God Jehovah will speak;
For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:
But let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth springeth out of the earth;
And righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
12 Yea, Jehovah will give that which is good;
And our land shall yield its increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him,
And shall [c]make his footsteps a way to walk in.
4 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land. 2 There is nought but swearing and breaking faith, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood. 3 Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. 4 Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. 5 And thou shalt stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, [a]I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children. 7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity. 9 And it shall be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will requite them their doings. 10 And they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall play the harlot, and shall not increase; because they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.
11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the [b]understanding. 12 My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredom hath caused them to err, and they have played the harlot, departing from under their God. 13 They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters play the harlot, and your brides commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot, nor your [c]brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go apart with harlots, and they sacrifice with the prostitutes; and the people that doth not understand shall be overthrown.
15 Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah [d]offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, As Jehovah liveth. 16 For Israel hath behaved himself stubbornly, like a stubborn heifer: now will Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place. 17 Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone. 18 [e]Their drink is become sour; they play the harlot continually; [f]her [g]rulers dearly love shame. 19 The wind hath wrapped her up in its [h]wings; and [i]they shall be put to shame because of their sacrifices.
15 And in these days Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren, and said (and there was a multitude of [a]persons gathered together, about a hundred and twenty), 16 Brethren, it was needful that the scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spake before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus. 17 For he was numbered among us, and received his [b]portion in this ministry. 18 (Now this man obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch that in their language that field was called Akeldama, that is, The field of blood.) 20 For it is written in the book of Psalms,
[c]Let his habitation be made desolate,
And let no man dwell therein:
and,
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