Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

14 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They have corrupted; and done an abominable work. There is no one who does good.

² The LORD looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any who would understand, and seek God.

³ All have gone out of the way. They are all corrupt. There is no one who does good; no, not one.

⁴ Do not all the workers of iniquity know that they eat up my people as they eat bread? They do not call upon the LORD.

⁵ There they shall be taken with fear, because God is in the generation of the just.

⁶ You have shamed the counsel of the poor. But the LORD is his refuge.

⁷ Oh, give salvation to Israel out of Zion. When the LORD turns the captivity of His people, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad. Note that Psalm 14:5-7, which are put into the common translation (and may seem to some to be left out here) are not in the same Psalm in the Hebrew text. Rather, they are put in more fully to express the manners of the wicked. They are gathered out of Psalms 5, 10, 36, 140, and Isaiah 59. They are alleged by Saint Paul and placed together in Romans 3. A Psalm of David.

10 After this, the king of the children of Ammon died. And Hanun, his son, reigned in his place.

² Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” And David sent his servants to comfort him for his father. So, David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

³ And the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, their lord, “Do you think that David honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?”

⁴ Therefore, Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beard and cut off their garments in the middle, down to their buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ When it was told to David, he sent to meet them (for the men were exceedingly ashamed) and the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown, then return.”

⁹ For this reason, we also (since the day we heard of it) do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be fulfilled with knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

¹⁰ so that you might walk worthily of the Lord and please Him in all things, being fruitful in all good works and increasing in the knowledge of God;

¹¹ strengthened with all might through His glorious power, leading to all patience and endurance with joy;

¹² giving thanks to the Father Who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;

¹³ Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son

¹⁴ (in Whom we have redemption through His blood; that is, the forgiveness of sins).