Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
19 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. The heavens [are] recounting the honour of God, And the work of His hands The expanse [is] declaring.
2 Day to day uttereth speech, And night to night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech, and there are no words. Their voice hath not been heard.
4 Into all the earth hath their line gone forth, And to the end of the world their sayings, For the sun He placed a tent in them,
5 And he, as a bridegroom, goeth out from his covering, He rejoiceth as a mighty one To run the path.
6 From the end of the heavens [is] his going out, And his revolution [is] unto their ends, And nothing is hid from his heat.
7 The law of Jehovah [is] perfect, refreshing the soul, The testimonies of Jehovah [are] stedfast, Making wise the simple,
8 The precepts of Jehovah [are] upright, Rejoicing the heart, The command of Jehovah [is] pure, enlightening the eyes,
9 The fear of Jehovah [is] clean, standing to the age, The judgments of Jehovah [are] true, They have been righteous -- together.
10 They are more desirable than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey, Even liquid honey of the comb.
11 Also -- Thy servant is warned by them, `In keeping them [is] a great reward.'
12 Errors! who doth understand? From hidden ones declare me innocent,
13 Also -- from presumptuous ones keep back Thy servant, Let them not rule over me, Then am I perfect, And declared innocent of much transgression,
14 Let the sayings of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, Be for a pleasing thing before Thee, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer!
23 `Thou dost not lift up a vain report; thou dost not put thy hand with a wicked man to be a violent witness.
2 `Thou art not after many to evil, nor dost thou testify concerning a strife, to turn aside after many to cause [others] to turn aside;
3 and a poor man thou dost not honour in his strife.
4 `When thou meetest thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou dost certainly turn it back to him;
5 when thou seest the ass of him who is hating thee crouching under its burden, then thou hast ceased from leaving [it] to it -- thou dost certainly leave [it] with him.
6 `Thou dost not turn aside the judgment of thy needy one in his strife;
7 from a false matter thou dost keep far off, and an innocent and righteous man thou dost not slay; for I do not justify a wicked man.
8 `And a bribe thou dost not take; for the bribe bindeth the open-[eyed], and perverteth the words of the righteous.
9 `And a sojourner thou dost not oppress, and ye -- ye have known the soul of the sojourner, for sojourners ye have been in the land of Egypt.
16 Let no one, then, judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a feast, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths,
17 which are a shadow of the coming things, and the body [is] of the Christ;
18 let no one beguile you of your prize, delighting in humble-mindedness and [in] worship of the messengers, intruding into the things he hath not seen, being vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh,
19 and not holding the head, from which all the body -- through the joints and bands gathering supply, and being knit together -- may increase with the increase of God.
20 If, then, ye did die with the Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances?
21 -- thou mayest not touch, nor taste, nor handle --
22 which are all for destruction with the using, after the commands and teachings of men,
23 which are, indeed, having a matter of wisdom in will-worship, and humble-mindedness, and neglecting of body -- not in any honour, unto a satisfying of the flesh.