Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 53
A Portrait of Sinners
For the choir director: on Mahalath.(A) A Maskil of David.
1 The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”
They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.(B)
2 God looks down from heaven on the human race[a]
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.(C)
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.(D)
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, 11 “I regret that I made Saul king,(A) for he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my instructions.”(B) So Samuel became angry and cried out to the Lord all night.(C)
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but it was reported to Samuel, “Saul went to Carmel(D) where he set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around and went down to Gilgal.”(E) 13 When Samuel came to him, Saul said, “May the Lord bless you.(F) I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 Samuel replied, “Then what is this sound of sheep, goats, and cattle I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The troops brought them from the Amalekites and spared the best sheep, goats, and cattle in order to offer a sacrifice to the Lord your God,(G) but the rest we destroyed.”(H)
16 “Stop!” exclaimed Samuel. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” he replied.
17 Samuel continued, “Although you once considered yourself unimportant,(I) haven’t you become the leader of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel 18 and then sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinful Amalekites. Fight against them until you have annihilated them.’ 19 So why didn’t you obey the Lord? Why did you rush on the plunder(J) and do what was evil in the Lord’s sight?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord!” Saul answered.[a] “I went on the mission the Lord gave me: I brought back King Agag of Amalek, and I completely destroyed the Amalekites. 21 The troops took sheep, goats, and cattle from the plunder—the best of what was set apart for destruction—to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”(K)
22 Then Samuel said:
Does the Lord(L) take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,
to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.(M)
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,(N)
and defiance is like wickedness(O) and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.(P)
22 I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.(A) 24 The nations will walk by its light,(B) and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.[a](C) 25 Its gates will never close by day because it will never be night there.(D) 26 They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.[b](E) 27 Nothing unclean will ever enter it,(F) nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.(G)
The Source of Life
22 Then he showed me the river[c] of the water of life,(H) clear as crystal,(I) flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb(J) 2 down the middle of the city’s main street. The tree of life was on each side of the river, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month.(K) The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations,(L) 3 and there will no longer be any curse.(M) The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face,(N) and his name will be on their foreheads.(O) 5 Night will be no more;(P) people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light,(Q) and they will reign forever and ever.
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