Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 53
The Fool
(Psalm 14)
Heading
For the choir director. According to mahalath.[a] A maskil by David.
A Description of the Fool
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt. They commit horrible evil.
There is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven on all the children of Adam
to see if there is anyone who understands,
anyone who seeks God.
3 Every single one has turned back.
Altogether they have become rotten.
There is no one who does good.
There is not even one.
The Final Fate of the Fool
4 Don’t they know, all those evildoers,
who devour my people as if they were eating bread?
They do not call on God.
5 There they are, terrified, where there was nothing to fear.
For God scattered the bones of those who camped against you.
You put them to shame, because God despised them.
Closing Prayer
6 Who will provide salvation for Israel from Zion?[b]
When God restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
The Day of Atonement
26 The Lord spoke to Moses:
27 It is the tenth day of this seventh month that is the Day of Atonement. It shall be proclaimed as a holy convocation for you. You shall humble yourselves,[a] and you shall present an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 You shall not do any work on this special day,[b] because it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 Indeed, anyone who does not humble himself on this special day will be cut off from his people. 30 Anyone who does any work on this very special day, I will exterminate from the midst of his people. 31 You shall do no work. This is a permanent regulation throughout your generations in all your places where you live. 32 It is a sabbath of complete rest for you. You shall humble yourselves on the ninth day of the month at evening. From that evening until the next evening, you shall observe a sabbath rest.
The Festival of Shelters
33 The Lord told Moses 34 to tell the people of Israel this:
Beginning on the fifteenth day of this seventh month, celebrate the Festival of Shelters[c] for seven days for the Lord. 35 On the first day proclaim a holy convocation. You shall not do any work for your regular occupation. 36 For seven days you shall bring an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day proclaim a holy convocation for yourselves, and you shall present an offering made by fire to the Lord. This is a closing ceremony. You shall not do any work for your regular occupation.
37 These are the appointed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as holy convocations for the presentation of offerings made by fire to the Lord—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings as commanded for each day. 38 Offer these in addition to the Sabbath offerings of the Lord, in addition to your personal wave offerings, in addition to all your offerings to fulfill a vow, and in addition to all your voluntary[d] offerings that you give to the Lord.
39 Beginning exactly on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, when you go to celebrate the festival of the Lord for seven days as a pilgrim, there shall be a complete sabbath rest on the first day and a complete sabbath rest on the eighth day. 40 On the first day you shall select for yourselves fruit from splendid trees, branches of palm trees, boughs from leafy trees, and willows from by the stream—and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate the festival for the Lord as a pilgrim for seven days each year. This is a permanent regulation throughout your generations. In the seventh month you shall celebrate the festival as a pilgrim.
The Church’s Victory
19 After these things I heard what seemed to be the loud sound of an immense crowd in heaven, saying:
Alleluia!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just,
because he has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and he has avenged his servants’ blood that was shed by her hand.
3 A second time they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke goes up forever and ever.”
4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures bowed down and worshipped God, who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”
5 And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all you his servants and you who fear him, small and great.”
The Wedding Supper of the Lamb
6 And I heard what seemed to be the roar of a large crowd or the roar of many waters or the sound of loud rumblings of thunder, saying:
Alleluia!
For the Lord our[a] God, the Almighty, reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory,
because the wedding of the Lamb has come.
His bride has made herself ready,
8 and she was given bright, clean, fine linen to wear.
(In fact, the fine linen is the “not guilty” verdicts pronounced on the saints.)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.