Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
19 The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. 2 Day and night they keep on telling about God. 3-4 Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it 5 and moves out across the skies as radiant as a bridegroom[a] going to his wedding, or as joyous as an athlete looking forward to a race! 6 The sun crosses the heavens from end to end, and nothing can hide from its heat.
7-8 God’s laws are perfect. They protect us, make us wise, and give us joy and light. 9 God’s laws are pure, eternal, just.[b] 10 They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. 11 For they warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them.
12 But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. 13 And keep me from deliberate wrongs; help me to stop doing them. Only then can I be free of guilt and innocent of some great crime.
14 May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.
21 Just as water is turned into irrigation ditches, so the Lord directs the king’s thoughts. He turns them wherever he wants to.
2 We can justify our every deed, but God looks at our motives.
3 God is more pleased when we are just and fair than when we give him gifts.
4 Pride, lust, and evil actions[a] are all sin.
5 Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty.
6 Dishonest gain will never last, so why take the risk?
7 Because the wicked are unfair, their violence boomerangs and destroys them.
8 A man is known by his actions.[b] An evil man lives an evil life; a good man lives a godly life.
9 It is better to live in the corner of an attic than with a crabby woman in a lovely home.
10 An evil man loves to harm others; being a good neighbor is out of his line.
11 The wise man learns by listening; the simpleton can learn only by seeing scorners punished.
12 God, the Righteous One, knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked and will bring the wicked to judgment.
13 He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need.
14 An angry man is silenced by giving him a gift!
15 A good man loves justice, but it is a calamity to evildoers.
16 The man who strays away from common sense will end up dead!
17 A man who loves pleasure becomes poor; wine and luxury are not the way to riches!
23 When he had returned to the Temple and was teaching, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders came up to him and demanded to know by whose authority he had thrown out the merchants the day before.[a]
24 “I’ll tell you if you answer one question first,” Jesus replied. 25 “Was John the Baptist sent from God or not?”
They talked it over among themselves. “If we say, ‘From God,’” they said, “then he will ask why we didn’t believe what John said. 26 And if we deny that God sent him, we’ll be mobbed, for the crowd all think he was a prophet.” 27 So they finally replied, “We don’t know!”
And Jesus said, “Then I won’t answer your question either.
28 “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work on the farm today.’ 29 ‘I won’t,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 Then the father told the youngest, ‘You go!’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t. 31 Which of the two was obeying his father?”
They replied, “The first, of course.”
Then Jesus explained his meaning: “Surely evil men and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom before you do. 32 For John the Baptist told you to repent and turn to God, and you wouldn’t, while very evil men and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to repent, and so you couldn’t believe.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.