Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 14
The Fool
(Psalm 53)
Heading
For the choir director. By David.
A Description of the Fool
1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt. They do disgusting things.
There is no one who does good.
2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all the children of Adam
to see if there is anyone who understands, anyone who seeks God.
3 Every one of them has turned away.
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 any of these evildoers understand,
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread?
They do not call on the Lord.
5 There they are! They are terrified
because God is present in the circle of the righteous.
6 You try to put the plans of the poor to shame,
but the Lord is their refuge.
Closing Prayer
7 Who will provide salvation for Israel from Zion?[a]
When the Lord restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
20 Look up and see those who are coming from the north.
Where is the flock entrusted to you,
the sheep you were so proud of?
The Future of Jerusalem
21 What will you say when associates whom you yourself have taught are appointed as masters over you? Won’t pain seize you like a woman in labor? 22 If you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” you should know that it is because of your great guilt that your skirt has been torn off, and you have been violated.
23 Can an Ethiopian[a] change the color of his skin?
Can a leopard change its spots?
Just as little can you, who are disciples of evil, do good.
24 I will scatter you like chaff blown by the desert wind.
25 This is your lot.
This is what I have assigned to you,
declares the Lord.
This will take place because you have forgotten me
and trusted in falsehood.
26 I myself will lift your skirt over your head,
so that your shame can be seen—
27 your adulteries, your lust-filled neighing,
and your shameless prostitution.
I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the countryside.
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
You are unclean.
After this, will you ever be clean again?
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Warning Against False Teachers
3 As I urged you while I was going to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach any different doctrines 4 or pay any attention to myths and endless genealogies that bring about aimless speculations rather than God’s plan, which centers in faith. 5 The goal of this command is love that comes from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith. 6 By veering away from these things, some have turned aside into meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, although they do not comprehend what they are saying or the things they so strongly affirm. 8 Now, we know that the law is good as long as one uses it correctly— 9 keeping in mind that the law is not laid down for a righteous person, but for lawless and rebellious people, for godless people and sinners, for unholy and worldly people, for those who kill their fathers and those who kill their mothers, for murderers, 10 for sexually immoral people, for homosexuals, for kidnappers,[a] for liars, for perjurers, and for whatever else is opposed to sound teaching— 11 in keeping with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I was entrusted.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.