Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 14[a]
Corruption and Punishment of the Godless
1 For the director.[b] Of David.
The fool says in his heart,[c]
“There is no God.”
People are depraved and their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does what is right.
2 The Lord[d] looks down from heaven
upon the entire human race,
to see if there are any who act with wisdom,
if even a single one seeks God.
3 But they have all left the right path;
all alike are corrupt.
There is no one who does what is right,
not even one.[e]
4 Have all these evildoers[f] no understanding?
They devour my people as they eat bread,
and they never call upon the Lord.
5 But later they will be filled with terror,
for God is on the side of the righteous.[g]
6 They sought to crush the hopes of the poor,[h]
but the Lord is their refuge.
7 Who will accomplish the salvation of Israel
that is to come out of Zion?[i]
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice and Israel will exult.
Chapter 4
1 If you return, O Israel, says the Lord,
if you return to me,
if you banish your loathsome idols from my sight
and do not go astray,
2 and if you swear, “As the Lord lives!”
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then the nations will bless themselves by him
and will glory in him.
3 For these are the words of the Lord to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up your unplowed ground
and do not sow among thorns.
4 For the sake of the Lord be circumcised
and remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath will leap forth like fire
and burn with no one to quench it
because of your evil deeds.
Invasion from the North[a]
5 Announce it in Judah;
proclaim it in Jerusalem.
Blow the trumpet throughout the land;
shout aloud the command,
“Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!”
6 Raise the signal to proceed toward Zion!
Flee for safety! Do not delay!
For I am bringing disaster from the north
as well as immense destruction.
7 A lion has come forth from its lair
the destroyer of nations has set forth.
He has left his lair
to make your towns a wasteland;
they will be in ruins and uninhabited.
8 Therefore, wrap yourselves in sackcloth,
beat your breasts and wail,
because the blazing anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 On that day, says the Lord,
the courage of the kings and the princes will fail;
the priests will be horrified
and the prophets will be astounded.
10 Then I said, “Alas, Lord God,
you completely deceived the people and Jerusalem
when you promised that we would have peace,
for now the sword is held at our throats.”
Warning against False Teachers[a]
Chapter 2
False Teachers Will Arise. 1 Just as there were false prophets who arose among the people, so there will be false teachers among you. They will introduce their disruptive views and even deny the very Master who redeemed them, thus bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2 Many will be seduced by their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be brought into disrepute. 3 In their greed they will exploit you with concocted stories.
The Condemnation of False Teachers. However, their condemnation has been hanging over them for a long time, and the destruction awaiting them does not slumber. 4 For God did not spare the angels who sinned, but he cast them into the dark abyss to be chained, where they are being held until the judgment.[b] 5 Nor did he spare the ancient world,[c] even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, one of eight, when he brought a flood upon the world with its godless people.
6 God also reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, thereby condemning them to total ruin and making them an example of what awaited the ungodly. 7 However, he rescued Lot, an upright man who was sickened by the licentiousness of the lawless society in which he lived 8 for that man was greatly tormented in his righteous soul by the crimes that he saw and about which he was told day after day.
9 Therefore, the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials and to hold the wicked for punishment until the Day of Judgment. 10 Above all, he will punish those who succumb to the desires of their corrupt human nature and show no respect for authority.
The Ways of False Teachers. Bold and headstrong, they are not afraid to insult celestial beings,
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