Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 58
A Cry against Injustice
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Davidic Miktam.
1 Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?[b]
Do you judge people fairly?(A)
2 No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.(B)
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars err from birth.(C)
4 They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,(D)
5 that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.(E)
6 God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.(F)
7 They will vanish like water that flows by;
they will aim their useless arrows.[c][d](G)
8 Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
they will not see the sun.(H)
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether green or burning—
He will sweep them away.[e](I)
10 The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;(J)
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.(K)
11 Then people will say,
“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!”(L)
23 How can you protest, “I am not defiled;
I have not followed the Baals”?(A)
Look at your behavior in the valley;
acknowledge what you have done.(B)
You are a swift young camel
twisting and turning on her way,
24 a wild donkey(C) at home[a] in the wilderness.
She sniffs the wind in the heat of her desire.
Who can control her passion?
All who look for her will not become tired;
they will find her in her mating season.[b]
25 Keep your feet from going bare
and your throat from thirst.
But you say, “It’s hopeless;(D)
I love strangers,(E)
and I will continue to follow them.”
26 Like the shame of a thief when he is caught,
so the house of Israel has been put to shame.(F)
They, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets(G)
27 say to a tree, “You are my father,”
and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.”
For they have turned their back to Me
and not their face,(H)
yet in their time of disaster(I) they beg,
“Rise up and save us!”
28 But where are your gods you made for yourself?
Let them rise up and save you(J)
in your time of disaster if they can,
for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.
Judgment Deserved
29 Why do you bring a case against Me?(K)
All of you have rebelled against Me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
30 I have struck down your children in vain;
they would not accept discipline.(L)
Your own sword has devoured your prophets(M)
like a ravaging lion.
31 Evil generation,
pay attention to the word of the Lord!
Have I been a wilderness to Israel
or a land of dense darkness?(N)
Why do My people claim,
“We will go where we want;[c]
we will no longer come to You”?
32 Can a young woman forget her jewelry(O)
or a bride her wedding sash?
Yet My people have forgotten Me(P)
for countless days.
33 How skillfully you pursue love;
you also teach evil women your ways.
34 Moreover, your skirts are stained
with the blood of the innocent poor.(Q)
You did not catch them breaking and entering.(R)
But in spite of all these things
35 you claim, “I am innocent.(S)
His anger is sure to turn away from me.”
But I will certainly judge you
because you have said, “I have not sinned.”(T)
36 How unstable you are,(U)
constantly changing your ways!
You will be put to shame by Egypt(V)
just as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 Moreover, you will be led out from here
with your hands on your head(W)
since the Lord has rejected those you trust;(X)
you will not succeed even with their help.[d]
7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.(A) 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.(B) 9 Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by foods, since those involved in them have not benefited.(C) 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.(D) 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest(E) as a sin offering are burned outside the camp.(F) 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate,(G) so that He might sanctify[a] the people by His own blood. 13 Let us then go to Him outside the camp, bearing His disgrace.(H) 14 For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.(I) 15 Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.(J) 16 Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.(K) 17 Obey your leaders[b] and submit to them, for they keep watch(L) over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. 18 Pray for us; for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.(M) 19 And I especially urge you to pray[c] that I may be restored to you very soon.
Benediction and Farewell
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep(N)—with the blood of the everlasting covenant,(O) 21 equip[d] you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him forever and ever.[e](P) Amen.
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