Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
To the Director: To the tune of[a] “Do not Destroy!”
A psalm of Asaph. A song.
Praise to God for Justice
75 We praise you, God!
We praise you[b]—your presence[c] draws near—
as we declare your wonderful deeds.
2 “At the time that I choose
I will judge the righteous.[d]
3 While the earth and all its inhabitants melt away,
it is I who keep its pillars firm.”
4 I will say to the proud, “Don’t brag,”
and to the wicked,
“Don’t vaunt your strength.[e]
5 Don’t use your strength to fight heaven[f]
or speak from stubborn arrogance.”[g]
6 For exaltation comes not from the east,
the west, or the wilderness,
7 since God is the judge.
This one he will debase or that one he will exalt.
8 For there is a cup in the hand of the Lord,
foaming with well-mixed wine
that he will pour out, leaving only the dregs,
from which all the wicked of the earth will drink.
Elisha is Recognized as Elijah’s Successor
15 As soon as the Guild of Prophets who lived adjacent to Jericho saw Elisha,[a] they began to announce, “The spirit[b] of Elijah is at rest on Elisha!” So they came out to meet him and they greeted him by bowing low to the ground in front of him.
16 Then they asked Elisha,[c] “Look! We have 50 valiant men here with your servant! Please let them go out and search for your master Elijah.[d] Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up on a mountain or into a valley.”
Elisha responded, “Don’t bother searching.”
17 But they persisted until he was frustrated, so he said, “Send them out!” So they sent out the 50 men, and they looked around for three days but did not find Elijah.[e] 18 By the time they returned, Elisha[f] was living in Jericho. Then Elisha asked them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
Elisha Cures the Waters of Jericho
19 The men who lived in the city addressed Elisha. “Look now,” they said, “our[g] city’s location is good, as you[h] have been observing, but the water springs[i] here are bad and the land isn’t sustaining crops.”
20 Elisha ordered them, “Bring me a new bowl and put some salt in it.” So they brought him what he had requested.[j]
21 Elisha went out to the springs, threw the salt into them, and declared, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have purified these waters. Neither death nor barrenness is to flow from them anymore.’” 22 As a result, the water springs[k] remain pure to this day, just as[l] Elisha had declared.
We Must Obey God’s Commandments
7 Dear friends, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard. 8 On the other hand, I am writing to you a new commandment that is truly in him and in you. For the darkness is fading away, and the true light is already shining.
9 The person who says that he is in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10 The person who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no reason for him to stumble. 11 But the person who hates his brother is in the darkness and lives in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
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