Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 14[a]
A Lament over Widespread Corruption
1 For the leader. Of David.
I
The fool says in his heart,
“There is no God.”
Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt;
not one does what is good.(A)
2 The Lord looks down from heaven
upon the children of men,(B)
To see if even one is wise,
if even one seeks God.(C)
3 All have gone astray;
all alike are perverse.
Not one does what is good,
not even one.(D)
II
4 Will these evildoers never learn?
They devour my people as they devour bread;(E)
they do not call upon the Lord.(F)
5 They have good reason, then, to fear;
God is with the company of the just.
6 They would crush the hopes of the poor,
but the poor have the Lord as their refuge.
III
13 See! like storm clouds he advances,
like a whirlwind, his chariots;
Swifter than eagles, his horses:
“Woe to us! we are ruined.”
14 Cleanse your heart of evil, Jerusalem,
that you may be saved.
How long will you entertain
wicked schemes?
15 A voice proclaims it from Dan,
announces wickedness from Mount Ephraim:
16 “Make this known to the nations,
announce it against Jerusalem:
Besiegers are coming from the distant land,
shouting their war cry against the cities of Judah.”(A)
17 Like watchers in the fields they surround her,
for she has rebelled against me—oracle of the Lord.(B)
18 Your conduct, your deeds, have done this to you;
how bitter is this evil of yours,
how it reaches to your very heart!(C)
19 My body! my body! how I writhe![a]
The walls of my heart!
My heart beats wildly,
I cannot be still;
For I myself have heard the blast of the horn,
the battle cry.
20 Ruin upon ruin is reported;
the whole land is laid waste.
In an instant my tents are ravaged;
in a flash, my shelters.(D)
21 How long must I see the signal,
hear the blast of the horn!
29 At the shout of rider and archer
each city takes to flight;
They shrink into the thickets,
they scale the rocks:
All the cities are abandoned,
no one lives in them.
30 You now who are doomed, what are you doing
dressing in purple,
bedecking yourself with gold,
Enlarging your eyes with kohl?
You beautify yourself in vain!
Your lovers reject you,
they seek your life.
31 Yes, I hear the cry, like that of a woman in labor,
like the anguish of a mother bearing her first child—
The cry of daughter Zion gasping,
as she stretches out her hands:
“Ah, woe is me! I sink exhausted
before my killers!”(A)
11 I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.(A) 12 A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.(B) 13 This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.(C) 16 I have other sheep[a] that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.(D) 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.(E) 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.[b] This command I have received from my Father.”(F)
19 Again there was a division among the Jews because of these words.(G) 20 Many of them said, “He is possessed and out of his mind; why listen to him?”(H) 21 Others said, “These are not the words of one possessed; surely a demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”(I)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.