Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Davidic psalm
A Priestly Ruler
110 A declaration from the Lord[a] to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 When the Lord extends your mighty scepter from Zion,
rule in the midst of your enemies.
3 Your soldiers[b] are willing volunteers on your day of battle;
in majestic holiness, from the womb,
from the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you.
4 The Lord took an oath and will never recant:
“You are a priest forever,
after the manner of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will utterly destroy kings in the time of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment against the nations,
filling graves[c] with corpses.
He will utterly destroy leaders far and wide.
7 He will drink from a stream on the way,
then hold his head high.
The Benefits of Choosing Wisdom
20 Wisdom cries out in the street;
she raises her voice in the public squares.
21 She calls out at the busiest part[a] of the noisy streets,[b]
and at the entrance to the gates of the city she utters her words:
22 “You naïve ones, how long will you love naiveté?
And how long will scoffers delight in scoffing
or fools hate knowledge?”
23 Return to my correction!
Look, I will pour out my spirit on you,
and I will make my words known to you.
The Consequences of Refusing Wisdom
24 “Because I called out to you and you refused to respond—[c]
I appealed,[d] but no one paid attention—
25 because[e] you neglected all my advice
and did not want my correction,
26 I will laugh at your calamity.
I will mock when what you fear[f] comes,
27 when what you dread comes like a storm,
and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call out to me,
but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently,
but they will not find me.
29 “Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord;
30 they did not want my advice,
and they rejected all my correction.
31 They will eat the fruit[g] of their way,
and they will be filled with their own devices.
32 Indeed, the waywardness[h] of the naïve will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 “But the person who listens to me will live safely
and will be secure from the fear of evil.”
Stop Fighting with Each Other
4 Where do those fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your selfish desires that are at war in your bodies, don’t they? 2 You want something but do not get it, so you commit murder. You covet something but cannot obtain it, so you quarrel and fight. You do not get things because you do not ask for them! 3 You ask for something but do not get it because you ask for it for the wrong reason—for your own pleasure.
4 You adulterers! Don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility with God? So whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says that the Spirit that God[a] caused to live in us jealously yearns for us?[b] 6 But he gives all the more grace. And so he says,
“God opposes the arrogant
but gives grace to the humble.”[c]
7 Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the Lord’s presence, and he will exalt you.
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